If a letter from your Medicare Advantage plan has said your plan won’t continue in 2027, you are not alone, and you have options. Many people in San Diego County are getting these notices this fall. Some North County residents have also asked whether they can keep seeing their doctors at Sharp Rees-Stealy, Sharp Community Medical Group, Graybill Medical Group or Optum.

This article explains what a non-renewal means, what has been announced locally, and the steps to take before your current coverage ends on December 31.

What a “non-renewal” notice means

Each fall, Medicare Advantage companies decide which plans they will offer in each county for the next year. If your plan won’t be offered in 2027, the company must send you a written non-renewal notice. The notice explains when your coverage ends and what your choices are.

Here’s what matters most:

  • Your current plan keeps working through December 31, 2026. Keep using your doctors and pharmacy as usual for the rest of this year.
  • You are not automatically moved into another Medicare Advantage plan. If you don’t choose a new plan, you return to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) on January 1. Unless you also enroll in a Part D plan, you may not have drug coverage.
  • You keep your Medicare. Losing a plan does not mean losing Medicare. It means choosing how you’ll receive your Medicare benefits next year.

What’s been announced in San Diego County for 2027

Sharp Health Plan. Sharp Health Plan has announced that it will no longer offer individual Medicare Advantage plans in 2027. Its individual Medicare Advantage coverage stays active through December 31, 2026. It will keep offering Medicare Advantage through certain employer-sponsored retiree plans, which it lists as CalPERS, SDPEBA, Teamsters and Sharp HealthCare retirees. People in those retiree plans do not need to take action. Sharp HealthCare’s own Medicare page says Sharp providers will continue to accept individual Medicare Advantage plans from other insurance companies and directs patients to check which plans Sharp will accept next year.

Graybill, Sharp Community Medical Group, Sharp Rees-Stealy and Optum. Medical groups contract with each health plan separately, and those contracts can change from year to year. A group that works with one plan may not work with another. We haven’t found a public 2027 announcement that would apply to everyone who sees these groups. The safest approach is to confirm your own doctors and medical group with any plan you’re considering for 2027. Your non-renewal letter, your doctor’s office and the plan’s provider directory are the places to check.

Step 1: Make a list of what you need to keep

Before you compare plans, write down:

  • Your primary care doctor and the medical group they belong to (for example, Sharp Rees-Stealy, Sharp Community Medical Group, Graybill or Optum)
  • Any specialists you see regularly
  • The hospitals you prefer, such as Tri-City, Palomar or Scripps facilities in North County
  • Your prescriptions and doses
  • Your preferred pharmacy

In many HMO plans, the medical group matters as much as the doctor. A doctor may be in a plan’s network through one medical group but not another. Ask the doctor’s office: “Which 2027 Medicare Advantage plans will you accept, and through which medical group?”

Step 2: Understand your enrollment windows

You have more than one chance to choose:

  • Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7. Anyone with Medicare can change plans. If you choose a new plan by December 7, it generally starts January 1, so your coverage continues without a gap.
  • Special Enrollment Period for non-renewals. Because your plan is ending, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period from December 8 through the last day of February to join another plan. Your notice will also explain your options.
  • Medigap guaranteed-issue rights. When a Medicare Advantage plan leaves or stops offering coverage, and you return to Original Medicare, you may have a limited-time right to buy certain Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies. During that window, an insurance company must sell you the policy and can’t charge you more because of your health.

Our companion article explains each of these in plain language.

Step 3: Decide between another Medicare Advantage plan and Original Medicare with a supplement

This is a good time to think again about the bigger choice, not just pick the next plan on the list.

  • Another Medicare Advantage plan combines your hospital, medical and usually drug coverage in one plan. These plans use provider networks. Check that your doctors, medical group and hospitals are included for 2027.
  • Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement and a Part D drug plan lets you see any doctor or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare. It works differently and has a different cost structure.

Neither choice is right for everyone. The best fit depends on your doctors, your health, your travel and your budget. A guaranteed-issue window means an insurance company must sell you certain supplement policies even if you might not qualify at another time. That’s why the timing matters.

Step 4: Check before you enroll

Before choosing a 2027 plan, confirm:

  1. Your doctors and medical group are in network for 2027, not just 2026
  2. Your hospitals are covered
  3. Your prescriptions are on the plan’s drug list, and your pharmacy is in network
  4. How the plan handles prior authorizations and care already in progress

Provider directories can lag behind contract changes, so it helps to confirm with the doctor’s office too.

You don’t have to sort this out alone

At Design My Medicare, Brian McArthur, a licensed agent based in North County, sits down with San Diego County residents to go through their notices, doctor lists and prescriptions. Together you can compare the plans we offer in your area. We work with many retirees and clients of financial advisors in Escondido, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Encinitas, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and nearby communities.

Book a review with Brian: call 619-885-0556. Bring your non-renewal letter, your list of doctors and your prescriptions.

You can also compare all available plans at Medicare.gov/plan-compare or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

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