CVS Health and BMC Health System are leaving New Hampshire’s Medicare Advantage market entirely for 2027, affecting more than 14,200 current enrollees, according to the New Hampshire Insurance Department. Coös and Carroll counties, hit hardest, are now down to plans from a single newcomer.
Open Enrollment ends December 7. Members of the departing plans have extra time after that, but the windows differ by rule and the rule that applies depends on how a plan is ending.
CVS Health and BMC exit, Devoted Health enters
The Insurance Department’s Medicare Advantage page, marked as updated October 22, 2026, says New Hampshire will have 20 Medicare Advantage plans from three organizations in 2027: Humana, UnitedHealth Group and Devoted Health, a new entrant. Devoted is coming in with six plans in portions of the state. CVS Health and BMC Health System are gone.
The department says eight of the state’s 10 counties will still have more than one Medicare Advantage organization. It also stresses that the 14,200 figure covers only members of the two exiting companies. Plans from carriers that remain are changing too, so members of Humana and UnitedHealthcare plans are told to confirm their own plan survives in their county.
Separately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects statewide Medicare Advantage enrollment to fall by 18,104 in 2027. The department calls that a forecast of overall enrollment, not a count of people whose plans are ending.
Next step: The cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors and the provider call script in The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit support a side-by-side check of a replacement plan against a member’s current prescriptions and the doctors and hospitals they use.
Coös and Carroll counties left with Devoted plans
The department’s county appendix shows Coös County with four Devoted Health PPO plans and no Humana or UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan. Carroll County also lists four Devoted PPO plans. Its only other entry is a UnitedHealthcare nursing home plan, a special needs plan built for a narrow group of members, and Humana is listed as none.
Those Devoted plans were announced after Governor Ayotte worked with CMS. The department’s page says plan details were expected before November 1 and urges anyone who wants to consider the new plans to learn the details before choosing. No later detail appeared on the page as read. Plan premiums, doctors and drug lists are the open questions for the people affected.
Other counties vary. Belknap, Cheshire, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford show no Devoted plans, while Grafton, Hillsborough and Sullivan show six.
Open Enrollment and the December 8 special window
Medicare.gov’s enrollment page says Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. In that window a person can join, leave or switch a Medicare Advantage plan, move between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare, and add or drop drug coverage. Coverage starts January 1, and the plan must receive a request by December 7.
For plans whose contracts are not renewed, Medicare.gov’s special enrollment page gives a window of December 8 to the last day of February. The New Hampshire department describes its special enrollment period for members losing coverage at year end as January 1 to February 28, 2027. The two descriptions overlap but start on different days, so confirming the start date for a specific plan matters.
Medicare.gov adds that anyone who does not join another Medicare Advantage plan before the current one ends is enrolled in Original Medicare.
Medigap guaranteed issue and the 63-day window
Members who return to Original Medicare may look at a Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, policy. Medicare.gov’s Medigap timing page lists a Medicare Advantage plan that will no longer cover a person’s area as a situation with a right to buy. The window opens 60 days before Medicare Advantage coverage ends and closes 63 days after it ends. The page says these are federal rights only and points to the State Insurance Department for state rules.
Arithmetic only: for coverage ending December 31, 2026, 60 days before is November 1, 2026, and 63 days after is March 4, 2027. Actual dates follow each plan’s end date.
The New Hampshire department adds two cautions. A Medigap policy does not include drug coverage, so a Part D plan is a separate purchase. And guaranteed-issue rights depend on why coverage is ending, so no one should assume a policy will be sold without medical underwriting.
Where to get free help in New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program runs through ServiceLink. The state’s ServiceLink page lists 1-866-634-9412 and says its Medicare specialists are SHIP-trained and certified. The Insurance Department’s Consumer Services Division takes calls at 800-852-3416, and Medicare answers questions at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
The department also warns against canceling existing coverage before the end date of the old plan and the start date of the new one are both clear. Its town halls in Lancaster, Berlin, Keene and North Conway were held November 9 to 13.
The mistake most likely to cost people is treating a letter from a departing carrier as the end of the process. Staying passive means enrollment in Original Medicare, which carries no drug plan, and the department says a Medicare Advantage member who switches to a Medigap policy must buy Part D separately.
Medigap rights after a New Hampshire Medicare Advantage exit
The Insurance Department says Medigap guaranteed-issue rights depend on the circumstances of the ending coverage, and that Open Enrollment and the later special enrollment period follow different rules. For members of the CVS Health and BMC plans, that leaves a costly gap: a wrong assumption about Medigap or drug coverage can mean medical underwriting or a stretch with no prescription plan.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes the Open Enrollment calendar and a guide to Medigap guaranteed-issue rights when a Medicare Advantage plan leaves or a member returns to Original Medicare, with a call script.
Read the Medigap guaranteed-issue section and its call script in The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy against New Hampshire Insurance Department, New Hampshire DHHS ServiceLink and Medicare.gov guidance.
Nathaniel Cross focuses on retirement planning, employer benefits, and long-term income security. His writing covers pensions, social programs, investment vehicles, and strategies designed to protect financial independence later in life. At The Daily Overview, Nathaniel provides practical insight to help readers plan with confidence and foresight.
