In short
- CMS data shows 24 standard Medicare Advantage plans in Douglas County for 2027, down from 29, plus 15 special needs plans. Sarpy County has the same lineup.
- Six companies offer standard plans in Omaha for 2027: Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Devoted Health, Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Wellcare.
- Medica leaves Douglas and Sarpy counties. Members who choose nothing return to Original Medicare when the plan ends, with no drug coverage.
- 45% of Douglas County beneficiaries were in Medicare Advantage in June 2026, versus 35% in Lancaster County and 34.2% statewide.
- Fifteen of the 24 plans are PPOs. That matters if you split care between health systems or see doctors on the Iowa side of the metro.
Omaha leans into Medicare Advantage more than the rest of Nebraska. In June 2026, 45% of Douglas County's 102,217 Medicare beneficiaries were in a Medicare Advantage or similar plan, compared with 34.2% statewide (CMS). So when the 2027 lineup shrinks, a lot of Omaha households feel it. This page covers the Douglas and Sarpy County market. The statewide Medicare Advantage guide covers how these plans work in general.
Who sells Medicare Advantage in Douglas and Sarpy counties for 2027?
Six, down from seven. Medica leaves, and the remaining companies shuffle their plans. These counts are standard plans in Douglas County from the CMS 2027 landscape file. Sarpy County's lineup is identical.
| Company | 2026 plans | 2027 plans | 2027 plan types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna | 5 | 7 | 5 PPO, 2 HMO-POS |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska | 4 | 3 | 2 PPO, 1 HMO-POS |
| Devoted Health | 2 | 3 | 3 PPO |
| Humana | 5 | 4 | 3 PPO, 1 HMO |
| Medica | 4 | 0 | Leaving both counties |
| UnitedHealthcare | 4 | 5 | 3 HMO-POS, 2 PPO |
| Wellcare | 5 | 2 | 2 HMO-POS |
The total falls from 29 standard plans to 24. Special needs plans dip from 16 to 15. Two other notes: Wellcare's Omaha members in a PPO will find only HMO-POS plans from Wellcare for 2027, and UnitedHealthcare keeps AARP Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage in Douglas and Sarpy, two of only five Nebraska counties where it does.
Remember that availability, premiums, networks and benefits differ by county and get reset each plan year. The statewide story is in Medicare Advantage in Nebraska for 2027.
What should Omaha Medica members do now?
Decide before December 7, 2026 if you can. Medica's plans end on December 31. Your options:
- Join another Medicare Advantage plan during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7, for a January 1 start.
- Return to Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a Part D plan. Leaving because Medica exits your county gives you a guaranteed issue right for certain Medigap plans. The Omaha Medicare Supplement page explains the deadlines.
- Use the non-renewal window. Medicare lets people in a plan that is not renewing make a change any time from December 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
How do you check Omaha's three health systems in a plan?
One system at a time, and one doctor at a time. Omaha care is split among Nebraska Medicine, Methodist Health System and CHI Health, plus specialty hospitals such as OrthoNebraska, Nebraska Spine Hospital and Madonna's Omaha campus. A plan that works well with one system tells you nothing about the others.
Use this order:
- List every doctor you saw in the last two years, and which system each one works for.
- Open each plan's 2027 provider directory and search each doctor by name.
- Search the hospital you would want for surgery or cancer care.
- Phone each office and ask, by plan name, if they will be in that network for 2027.
- Ask the plan whether planned surgery, imaging or rehab needs prior authorization.
Couples do not have to share a plan. If one of you sees Methodist doctors and the other is treated at Nebraska Medicine, two different plans may fit better than one. The HMO vs PPO comparison explains why that choice matters so much in Omaha: 15 of the 24 plans are PPOs and 9 are HMO or HMO-POS plans.
What about doctors on the Iowa side of the metro?
Check them as carefully as the Omaha ones. Medicare Advantage plans are sold by the county where you live, but networks can include providers in other counties and states. Some include Council Bluffs doctors and some may not. An HMO generally covers only in-network care outside of emergencies. A PPO covers out-of-network care at a higher cost.
If most of your care is across the river, search those doctors by name before you enroll, and call their offices. Original Medicare with a supplement is the option with no network question at all.
How do Omaha residents check costs, Star Ratings and plan fit?
Read past the premium. A plan with a $0 premium still leaves you paying your Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026). Compare the yearly out-of-pocket maximum, the per-day hospital copay, the drug deductible and how each of your medications is tiered.
Then look at quality. Medicare.gov is scheduled to post 2027 Star Ratings on or around October 8, 2026. Four of Omaha's 24 standard plans include no drug coverage, which mainly suits people with drug coverage elsewhere, such as through the Omaha VA Medical Center.
Where can Omaha residents get unbiased Medicare Advantage help?
- Volunteers Assisting Seniors, home of Omaha's Nebraska SHIP (formerly SHIIP) counselors, at 900 S 74th Plaza, Suite 403. Call 402-444-6617; they compare plans and sell nothing.
- ENOA, the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, for local services: 402-444-6444.
- Medicare itself, at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, TTY 1-877-486-2048. Nebraska SHIP's statewide number is 1-800-234-7119.
Bill reviews Douglas and Sarpy plans with Omaha clients by phone or video, and at his Lincoln office when you are in town. Sarpy County residents can also see the Papillion page for local details. Have your Annual Notice of Change letter and doctor list ready, then talk to Bill.
Frequently asked questions
CMS plan data lists six companies with standard Medicare Advantage plans in Douglas County for 2027: Aetna with seven plans, UnitedHealthcare with five, Humana with four, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Devoted Health and Wellcare with fewer. Medica leaves the county. Separate special needs plans serve people with Medicaid or certain conditions. Which plans exist, and what they cost and cover, changes county by county and year to year.
Yes. Medica's Medicare Advantage plans do not appear in the CMS 2027 plan data for Douglas or Sarpy County. Members can choose a new plan from October 15 to December 7, 2026, or use a special window that runs from December 8 through February 28, 2027. Anyone who joins nothing is moved to Original Medicare when the plan ends, and would need to add a Part D plan for drug coverage.
There is no single answer, because each plan builds its own network and networks change every year. Search the 2027 provider directory for every doctor and hospital you use. Then phone each doctor's office with a specific question: will you be in network with this plan, by name, for 2027? A hospital being listed does not mean every specialist group working there is.
For 2027, CMS lists the same 24 standard plans and 15 special needs plans in Sarpy County as in Douglas County, so Papillion, Bellevue and La Vista residents see the same companies. Still confirm your plan is offered at your exact address in Medicare.gov's Plan Finder before you enroll.
Only if that doctor is in the plan's network, or if you choose a PPO and accept higher out-of-network costs. HMO plans generally cover only in-network care, except emergencies and urgent care. Some plans build networks that cross state lines and some do not. Search the Iowa doctor by name in the plan's 2027 directory and call the office to confirm before you enroll.
Sources
- CMS: CY 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D state fact sheets (opens in a new tab)
- CMS: Medicare Monthly Enrollment, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Special Enrollment Periods (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: HMO plans (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska Department of Insurance: Find a local SHIP office (opens in a new tab)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
