If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Contra Costa County…
AARP from UHC (United Healthcare) is leaving Contra Costa County. If you have this plan in 2026 and you do nothing, you will have only Medicare Parts A and B with NO drug coverage in 2027 and may have high copays for physicians and hospitals.
However, you have extra time to act even after the Dec. 7 open enrollment deadline. You can choose a new Advantage plan or Original Medicare with a separate drug plan and a Medigap plan anytime until Dec. 31 to be effective Jan. 1. You also have time in early 2027, but your new coverage won’t be effective until the month after you enroll.
Want a different Advantage plan? See the 2027 MAPD plans here.
Get more information about your Rights, Options, and Deadlines to change to a Medigap plan. And Learn more about Medigap plans?
Learn to use Plan Finder to compare Advantage plan prices with your drug costs?
If you want to switch paths to Original Medicare with a Medigap and stand-alone drug plan
You have a special right to switch to a Medigap without medical underwriting (health screening). If you choose this option you can go to all your same doctors. There is no network with Original Medicare/Medigap. As long as the doctor takes Medicare they will take all Medigap plans. There are various levels of Medigap plans with premiums ranging from $46 to $167 per month for a 65 year old. Prices increase as you get older.
If you want to know if your current stand-alone drug plan is the best for you next year…
You can try using the medicare.gov plan finder tool yourself, using our Plan Finder Instructions, or you can call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) and they can do it for you. They’re open 24/7, so call late at night for the fastest service. You can use the same tool to check that your drugs are still covered by your Advantage plan and what they will cost next year. HICAP can also help you with this.
HICAP can help you!
During Annual Enrollment we offer counseling several ways. We can help you over the phone (Plan Finder Counseling), or in-person at one of our many counseling locations (Site Counseling), or at one of our Annual Enrollment Counseling Events. Read about these options here, then use our form to register for counseling. If you can’t use the form, you may use any of the options on our Contact Us page.