The annual Medicare sweepstakes is on for New Hampshire’s 358,000 eligible recipients — one quarter of the state’s population. They have until Dec. 7 to decide whether to keep their current plan, or navigate through the maze of insurance carriers and alternative plans to choose coverage that begins on Jan. 1, 2027.
And the choices are squeezing the state’s Medicare eligible residents, according to Christopher Cote, president of Core Insurance in Hampstead, one of the state’s many navigators who help people choose a Medicare path that suits their health needs and their budgets.
“Three years ago, we had eight companies offering Medicare Advantage plans in New Hampshire. We went from eight to five. We went from five to three, and now we’re hovering at three,” said Cote. “A lot has changed over the past three years. It’s crazy.”
Up to 33% of Medicare beneficiaries in the Granite State are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, while the remaining 67% are enrolled in Original Medicare.
It’s the Advantage plan enrollees who tend to experience the most disruption in their coverage from year to year, and this year is no different, according to Cote.
Original Medicare is the government’s traditional health insurance program for Americans 65 and older, as well as some qualifying younger people. It basically has two parts: Part A helps cover hospital stays, Part B covers doctor visits. A plan for medicine — Part D — has to be purchased separately. Coverage for hearing, vision, dental, dermatology, etc. has to be purchased separately, as well.
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by insurance companies. Known as Part C, it can be an inclusive plan that includes coverage for hospitals, doctors, medication, hearing, vision, dental, dermatology, etc., as well as enrollment in a health club.
The difficulty comes from the fact that Advantage plans are not the same from state to state, they’re not even the same from county to county within a state. An elderly Granite Stater’s zip code has everything to do with the Advantage plan they might be able to get.
New Hampshire’s experience so far this enrollment period is a case in point.
Prior to the enrollment period that started Oct. 15, insurance companies were required to let their Advantage members know what changes are in store. Those changes can be as varied as an increase in deductibles, or what prescriptions are (or are not) covered, or that their primary care physician (PCP) is not part of their plan anymore. That notice might also be that the carrier is leaving the state altogether.
Exits from New Hampshire were announced by two carriers: CVS Health, which offered plans through its Aetna subsidiary, and BMC Health, through its non-profit subsidiary WellSense.
While CVS Health/Aetna only offered Advantage plans in two New Hampshire counties (Hillsborough and Rockingham), BMC/WellSense offered plans in each of the state’s 10 counties in 2026.
That leaves about 14,200 current enrollees in those plans out in the cold, according to the New Hampshire Insurance Department.
“Insurance companies don’t like losing money,” said Cote. “So, unfortunately, they made some changes and decided to get rid of some plans.”
As troubling, no carrier had plans to offer Advantage coverage in Coos County, the second oldest county by median age (50.3) behind Carroll County (54.6). As for Carroll County, there was only going to be one option from UnitedHealthcare for an Advantage plan. Coos and Carroll are also the most rural in the state.
That is, until Gov. Kelly Ayotte intervened.
She announced on Oct. 16 that Coos and carroll Counties will have Medicare Advantage plan availability for 2027 following collaboration between her office and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is overseen by its federal administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The governor announced Thursday that Devoted Health — a newcomer to New Hampshire — will fill the empty hole in Coos County and become a second offering in Carroll County.
“I thank Administrator Oz and CMS for working with us to ensure Medicare Advantage coverage in Coos and Carroll Counties. When I spoke with Administrator Oz, I emphasized the unique challenges our North Country faces, and I am grateful that he was so responsive,” Ayotte said in a statement. “This work will help North Country residents access the coverage and care they need, and we will continue working to protect Granite Staters’ access to healthcare coverage in rural New Hampshire and across our entire state.”
The governor’s office said Medicare Advantage-eligible individuals in Coös and Carroll counties should wait until November 1 to enroll if they wish to consider these Medicare Advantage plans.
While welcome news to navigators, such as Cote, it took them by surprise because they had already been advising clients about what to do in the wake of what happened in Coos and Carroll counties.
“It’s great that there’s an effort there, and they’re trying. But at the same time, the timing on it couldn’t be worse, because we’re trying to do our jobs here and get people coverage for 2027,” said Cote.
Humana and UnitedHealthcare (under the AARP Medicare Advantage brand) continue to offer a variety of plans in the state, though they differ by county.
A new player in the sweepstakes is Devoted Health.
The company was co-founded in 2017 by two brothers Todd and Ed Park. Todd Park previously served as the U.S. Chief Technology Officer during the Obama administration. According to the company, the choice of the name “Devoted” and their core organizational ethos of “treating members like family” stems entirely from personal family experiences navigating the U.S. healthcare system.
It, like Humana, has offerings in some counties, no offerings in others.
The current list of carriers and plans, as well as a Q&A regarding this enrollment period can be found here at the New Hampshire Insurance Department:
https://www.insurance.nh.gov/news-and-media/blog/medicare-advantage-changes-new-hampshire-2027
The insurance department noted that CMS projects statewide Medicare Advantage enrollment to decline by 18,104 beneficiaries in 2027. “This is a projection of overall enrollment, not a count of beneficiaries whose current plans are terminating,” said the department. “The number of consumers affected by plan terminations, service-area reductions, network changes, and other plan changes is broader and cannot be measured by the projected enrollment decline alone.”
The insurance department announced its plans to host informational town hall meetings in Coos, Carroll, Cheshire, and Hillsborough counties, which, it said, “are experiencing particularly significant Medicare Advantage disruption for 2027.”
“These events will give seniors and their families an opportunity to hear directly from the department about what is changing, available coverage options, important enrollment deadlines and consumer protections, and where to obtain individualized assistance,” it said. Dates, times, locations, and additional consumer-assistance information will be announced separately.
The department’s early review of projected coverage identified 13 Medicare Advantage plans with a $0 monthly premium for 2027, with at least one in eight counties. These figures predate the governor’s announcement and may change as additional plan details become available.
The department noted a lower premium does not necessarily mean lower overall health care costs or better access to care.
The state has a free, grant-funded NH Navigator program operated by the Foundation for Healthy Communities. It provides confidential, one-on-one enrollment and health coverage assistance.
The exit of two Medicare Advantage carriers from the state will affect 14,200 current enrollees, while changes to other plans could mean a decline in overall enrollment in Advantage plans by 18,104 beneficiaries in 2027
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