SilverScript Choice Medicare drug plan ends Dec. 31 for 6,723 Bristol County members, CMS records show
Mass General Brigham's three PPO plans and a Tufts PPO also end. Two Wellcare drug plans used by about 20,000 county residents cost a little less.
SOUTH COAST SilverScript Choice, the Medicare drug plan that 6,723 Bristol County residents were enrolled in this fall, will not be offered in 2027, so its coverage ends Dec. 31, Medicare's plan records show. Its members have until Monday, Dec. 7, to choose another plan for coverage that starts Jan. 1.
SilverScript Choice, sold by Aetna Medicare, is the only one of the 11 stand-alone drug plans offered in Massachusetts this year that is not coming back. About one in seven of the 45,266 Bristol County residents with a stand-alone drug plan of their own is in it. Another 5,700 are in Plymouth County, which takes in Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Lakeville and Middleborough. SilverScript drug plans that come through an employer or union, such as retiree plans, are not part of the change; Medicare's crosswalk shows them renewing.
The 10 plans that return have new prices, and the changes run in both directions. Two Wellcare plans that together cover 20,021 Bristol County residents cost a little less in 2027. Eight plans with 18,499 county members cost more, and two AARP plans from UnitedHealthcare go up by more than $80 a month.
What the drug plans cost in 2027
| Plan | Bristol County members | 2026 | 2027 | Change per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellcare Classic | 10,452 | $21.70 | $21.30 | -$0.40 |
| Wellcare Value Script | 9,569 | $16.40 | $13.30 | -$3.10 |
| Blue MedicareRx Value Plus | 9,259 | $20.70 | $25.50 | +$4.80 |
| SilverScript Choice | 6,723 | $32.70 | Not offered | Plan ends |
| Humana Basic Rx | 2,687 | $8.40 | $26.10 | +$17.70 |
| AARP Medicare Rx Preferred from UHC | 2,235 | $155.10 | $239.80 | +$84.70 |
| AARP Medicare Rx Saver from UHC | 1,322 | $38.70 | $122.20 | +$83.50 |
| Humana Premier Rx | 1,045 | $138.60 | $146.30 | +$7.70 |
| Humana Value Rx | 822 | $73.60 | $107.30 | +$33.70 |
| Blue MedicareRx Premier | 660 | $238.60 | $284.70 | +$46.10 |
| HealthSpring Assurance Rx | 469 | $139.30 | $158.60 | +$19.30 |
AARP Medicare Rx Saver's increase comes to $1,002 over a year, and AARP Medicare Rx Preferred's to $1,016.40. Humana Basic Rx, the lowest-priced plan in the state this year, more than triples to $26.10. Wellcare Value Script becomes the lowest at $13.30.
Most plans also carry a higher deductible. Six of the 10 returning plans charge a $700 yearly deductible in 2027; this year, seven of the 11 plans charged $615. The most anyone pays out of pocket for covered drugs rises to $2,400 a year from $2,100.
The premiums in the table are what each plan charges before Extra Help, the federal program for people with limited income. For 2027, Medicare lists three Massachusetts plans for automatic enrollment of people with Extra Help, each at $0 a month for them: Wellcare Classic, Blue MedicareRx Value Plus and Humana Basic Rx. SilverScript Choice was on that list for 2026.
Medicare Advantage plans that end
Five Medicare Advantage plans sold in Bristol County this year are not offered in 2027, and they had 1,237 county members in October.
Mass General Brigham Health Plan's three PPO plans end: Mass General Brigham Advantage, with 783 Bristol County members at $0 a month; Advantage Premier, with 87 members at $150; and Advantage Signature, with 67 members at $325. The health plan adds two HMO-POS plans in the county for 2027, Advantage Core at $0 a month and Advantage Plus at $180. In Plymouth County, 2,433 people are in the three PPO plans that end.
Tufts Medicare Preferred PPO RX, with 105 Bristol County members at $20 a month, also ends. Medicare lists a new Tufts plan with the same name in the county for 2027, at $220 a month. Humana Direct Choice Giveback, a $0 PPO with 195 county members, is not offered either.
Among plans that continue, the largest Medicare Advantage plan in the county, AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC MA-0003, with 6,939 members, stays at $0 a month, but its yearly limit on in-network costs rises to $7,150 from $6,700. Aetna Medicare Signature Extra, with 3,529 members, also stays at $0, and its limit rises to $7,150 from $5,900. Fifteen plans with drug coverage carry a $0 premium in Bristol County in 2027, the same number as this year.
What to do and when
During open enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, people with Medicare can join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage and drug plans, and coverage starts Jan. 1, according to Medicare.gov, which says the plan has to get the request to join by Dec. 7.
For members of a plan that is not renewed, Medicare.gov lists a second window, from Dec. 8 through the last day of February, to switch to another plan. Medicare Advantage members whose plan ends and who do not join another one are enrolled in Original Medicare, the site says.
Medicare.gov says people can join a plan by selecting Enroll at Medicare.gov/plan-compare, by contacting the plan or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). SHINE counselors give free, unbiased help with Medicare choices, according to Bristol Aging and Wellness in Fall River, which schedules SHINE appointments at 508-676-5465. Local councils on aging, Marion's among them, also arrange appointments.
How we got these numbers
We compared Medicare's 2026 plan list with its 2027 list, last updated Oct. 18, used Medicare's Oct. 1 crosswalk to match each 2026 plan to its 2027 plan or mark it ended, and took enrollment by county from Medicare's October 2026 count. The figures cover plans people buy on their own, not employer or union retiree plans or special needs plans, and Medicare leaves out counts of 10 or fewer. The county total of 45,266 drug plan members includes 23 people in plans sold outside Massachusetts. Drug plan premiums are the same across Massachusetts; Advantage plans are listed by county.
SC360 reported the statewide picture for 2027, including average premiums, in its Oct. 26 story on open enrollment.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every figure comes from Medicare's 2026 and 2027 plan lists, its Oct. 1 plan crosswalk and its October 2026 county enrollment count, all from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the enrollment dates come from Medicare.gov. We read them on Nov. 1 and figured each count, sum and change from the plan records; yearly changes are 12 times the monthly change. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (8)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape fileEvery 2027 plan in Massachusetts with premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket limits and Extra Help auto-enrollment status; released Sept. 22, 2026, updated Oct. 18, 2026. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: CY2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape file2026 plans and premiums for comparison. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: 2027 Part C and D Plan CrosswalkDated Oct. 1, 2026: which 2026 plans renew, consolidate or end (Terminated/Non-renewed). Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Monthly Enrollment by Contract, Plan, State and County, October 2026Enrollment by plan in Bristol and Plymouth counties. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Medicare.gov: Joining a planOpen enrollment Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, coverage Jan. 1, free SHIP counseling, 1-800-MEDICARE. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment PeriodsPlans not renewed: switch Dec. 8 to the last day of February. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Bristol Aging and Wellness: SHINEFree, unbiased Medicare counseling; appointments at 508-676-5465. Read Nov. 1, 2026.
- Town of Marion Council on Aging: SHINE, Health InsuranceSHINE counseling arranged through the Council on Aging. Read Nov. 1, 2026.