Health Care Service Corporation, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee that bought Cigna’s Medicare business, will sell Medicare Advantage plans in 478 counties for 2027, down from 948 this year. That is a cut of roughly half the counties where the insurer, known as HCSC, operates Medicare Advantage plans today. The figures come from a Becker’s Hospital Review analysis of the federal 2027 plan landscape data, published Oct. 1.
The plan count falls too. HCSC will offer 200 Medicare Advantage plans in 2027, down from 283, according to the same analysis. The cuts are deepest in the states where HCSC is a Blue Cross licensee: in Texas the insurer goes from 229 counties to 47, in Illinois from 100 to 7 and in Oklahoma from 58 to 6, Becker’s reported.
For members, the question is whether their county is one of the ones dropped, and what they pick if it is. Annual enrollment on Medicare.gov opens Oct. 15 and closes Dec. 7, and anyone whose plan will not return needs a replacement in place for Jan. 1. Trade coverage says HCSC’s non-renewal letters are dated Oct. 2, so members in affected counties may already have one in the mailbox.
Because a cut this size can change the plan lineup even for members whose own plan stays, The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors and the Open Enrollment calendar.
Open the cost calculator for comparing 2027 plans after HCSC’s cuts →
How HCSC ended up with this book of business
HCSC completed its purchase of Cigna’s Medicare business on March 19, 2025, according to the company’s announcement. The deal covered Cigna’s Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Part D prescription drug businesses, plus the CareAllies care-management business. HCSC describes itself as the nation’s largest customer-owned health insurer and an independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee. Less than two years after the deal closed, the insurer’s Medicare Advantage county footprint is set to shrink by about half.
Whole states leaving the footprint
Commission Health, a trade publication, reported on Oct. 3 that HCSC is withdrawing completely from Connecticut, Kansas, Montana, New York, Oregon, Utah and Washington, D.C. For members in those places, there will be no HCSC Medicare Advantage plan to move to, and a switch to another insurer or to Original Medicare is the only route. The same outlet counts the footprint of HCSC’s standard plans at 450 counties for 2027, against the 478 that Becker’s counts for all of its Medicare Advantage plans.
In the states with the steepest reductions, such as Illinois, where the insurer is going from 100 counties to 7, members outside the remaining counties will need a plan from a different company, or a different HCSC product if one is still offered where they live.
A shifting field around HCSC
HCSC is not the only large insurer reshaping its lineup. The same Becker’s analysis shows Centene offering 210 plans in 2027, down from 303, while Devoted Health goes to 740 plans from 427. Only four organizations are entering the market overall in 2027, so few new names are arriving to replace the plans being cut. Medicare Advantage lineups vary by county, which is why a ZIP-code search matters more than a statewide headline.
Finding a plan after an HCSC county cut
The free starting point is the Medicare Plan Finder, where a ZIP code brings up every plan sold in that county for 2027, with premiums, drug costs and star ratings. Members should check the plan’s non-renewal letter first, because it names the plan that is ending and the date coverage stops. A medication list with doses and the names of every doctor and hospital make the comparison faster, and total yearly cost, which adds premium, drug costs and expected visits, tells more than the premium alone.
People who lose a plan have a second chance after annual enrollment closes. Medicare.gov lists a special enrollment period for plans that are not renewing that runs Dec. 8 through the last day of February. Members who are choosing Original Medicare instead should also look at a Part D plan and a Medigap supplement at the same time, since the choices interact.
HCSC’s acquisition announcement and the Becker’s tally of 478 counties against 948 remain the reference points for how far the footprint has fallen, and the Plan Finder shows each county’s actual 2027 options.
For members sorting through a smaller 2027 menu, The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit adds a prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script for confirming that a doctor takes a new plan.
Click here to get The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit for a county HCSC is leaving →
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Financial Wire’s editorial team.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
