Coos County, NH: What To Do With No Medicare Advantage Plans for 2027 (Updated)

By Marc Gilman

Call (800) 927-9326 | Email marc@gilmanagency.com

Updated October 16, 2026: It’s now confirmed. When we first wrote this post on October 3, Medicare’s Plan Compare tool showed no plans for Coos County, but 2027 plan data wasn’t fully loaded yet. The New Hampshire Insurance Department has since confirmed that Coos County will have no Medicare Advantage plans in 2027. It’s joins Carroll County as the second county in the state without one.

If you live in Berlin, Gorham, Lancaster, Colebrook, Whitefield, Groveton, Pittsburg, or anywhere else in Coos County and you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan today, that plan ends December 31, 2026. You won’t lose Medicare. But you do need to make a few decisions, and the timing matters. Here’s what to do.

Key Takeaways

• Coos County has no Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Any Medicare Advantage plan you have now ends December 31, 2026.

• If you do nothing, you return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) on January 1, 2027, but you will not have drug coverage unless you choose a Part D plan.

• Because your plan is ending, you get a Special Enrollment Period from December 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027, on top of Annual Enrollment (October 15 to December 7).

• You also get a guaranteed-issue right to buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy without health questions, for up to 63 days after your coverage ends.

• To avoid a gap in coverage, choose your Part D plan, and a Medigap policy if you want one, by December 31.

Why Doesn’t Coos County Have Any Medicare Advantage Plans in 2027?

Coos County started 2026 with two Medicare Advantage carriers, Humana and WellSense. For 2027, WellSense is leaving New Hampshire entirely, and Humana’s plans won’t cover Coos County. No other carrier has added the county.

It’s part of a statewide shift. Aetna (CVS Health) and WellSense are both leaving New Hampshire’s Medicare Advantage market for 2027, affecting more than 14,200 people, according to the Insurance Department. That follows Anthem and Martin’s Point leaving for 2026. In 2027, three organizations will offer 20 plans across the state: Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and Devoted Health. Eight of New Hampshire’s 10 counties will have at least two. Insurers cite lower federal payments and rising health care costs.

Medicare Advantage is run by the federal government, so the state has little say in where carriers offer plans.

What Are Your Options for 2027?

With no Medicare Advantage plans in the county, Coos County residents will get their coverage through Original Medicare. The real choice is what you add to it.

For most people, a Part D plan isn’t optional. If you go without creditable drug coverage for 63 days or more in a row, you may owe a late-enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part D.

Medigap is the piece most people moving from Medicare Advantage haven’t priced before. It has a monthly premium, but it can protect you from Original Medicare’s open-ended 20% coinsurance on things like a hospital stay, surgery, or cancer treatment. Ordinarily, buying Medigap after your first enrollment can mean health questions. Losing your plan this year gives you the right to skip them (see below).

One more option: if you spend part of the year elsewhere, or you’re moving, a Medicare Advantage plan in your new county may be available. Neighboring Grafton County will have two Medicare Advantage organizations in 2027. You can only join a plan in the county where you live.

What Rights Do You Have Because Your Plan Is Ending?

Your plan should have sent you a non-renewal letter. Keep it, because it documents the two rights below.

A Special Enrollment Period. Besides Annual Enrollment (October 15 to December 7, 2026), you can make changes from December 8, 2026, through February 28, 2027. Your new coverage starts the first day of the month after you enroll. If you wait until January or February, you’ll be in Original Medicare without drug coverage until your new Part D plan starts.

A guaranteed-issue right to buy Medigap. Because your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving your area, an insurance company can’t turn you down for a Medigap policy, charge you more because of your health, or make you wait for coverage of a pre-existing condition. This right lasts up to 63 days after your coverage ends on December 31. Many insurers let you apply earlier, so your Medigap policy can start January 1 with no gap.

The guaranteed-issue right covers certain Medigap plans, not all of them. Under federal rules, those generally include Plans A, B, D, G, K, and L, plus C and F if you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. If you’re under 65 and on Medicare because of a disability, ask us about your options, since Medigap rules differ.

If you do nothing, you’ll go back to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, but without drug coverage, and your guaranteed-issue window will start running.

What Should You Do, and When?

1. Find your non-renewal letter. It confirms your plan is ending and your Special Enrollment rights. If you can’t find it, call your current plan or us.

2. List your prescriptions, doses, and pharmacies. You’ll need them to compare Part D plans, which differ a lot on premiums and which drugs they cover.

3. Decide whether you want Medigap. Compare monthly premiums against what a bad year could cost you under Original Medicare alone. Use your guaranteed-issue right while you have it.

4. Enroll by December 7 if you can. Choosing a Part D plan, and Medigap if you want it, during Annual Enrollment means everything starts January 1, 2027.

5. Don’t wait past December 31. You can still enroll through February 28, 2027, but you could go without drug coverage until your plan starts.

6. Check your doctors. Original Medicare works with any provider in the country that accepts Medicare, so you won’t be limited to a network. Confirm your doctors accept Medicare.

7. Watch for new cards. You’ll keep your red, white, and blue Medicare card, plus get cards for your Part D plan and any Medigap policy. Retire your old Medicare Advantage card after December 31.

Related Posts for 2027

• Medicare Annual Enrollment Starts Today: Steps for Manchester and Hillsborough County: the statewide changes and AEP checklist

• New for 2027 in Grafton County: Devoted Health Joins Medicare Advantage: for our neighbors to the south and west

• New for 2027 in Sullivan County: Devoted Health Joins Medicare Advantage

• Aetna Is Leaving Rockingham County: Your 2027 Medicare Options: another county where people are losing their plan

• 2027 HSA Rules: New Contribution Limits and What They Mean for You and Your HSA in Retirement: HSA money can pay Part B and Part D premiums tax-free, though not Medigap premiums

What To Do Next

We serve Medicare beneficiaries across New Hampshire, including Coos County, by phone and video, so you don’t have to travel to see us. We’ll compare Part D plans against your prescriptions and price Medigap options while your guaranteed-issue right is open.

Call Gilman Agency at (800) 927-9326 or email marc@gilmanagency.com. If you would like a licensed agent to contact you about your Medicare options, please complete our Permission to Contact form. You can also get free, unbiased counseling from ServiceLink, New Hampshire’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

This article is for educational purposes only. Benefits, premiums, formularies, and eligibility requirements vary by plan and may change on January 1 each year. Always review plan documents before enrolling. Gilman Agency is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.