Goodsurance

Medicare Advantage

Devoted Health Named to Fill Medicare Advantage Gap in Two Rural New Hampshire Counties

Coos and Carroll counties were left without any standard Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 after insurers pulled back. A late CMS approval makes Devoted Health plans available starting November 1, partway through open enrollment.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamOctober 24, 2026

When CMS finalized its 2027 Medicare Advantage plan approvals, Coos County in New Hampshire had no standard plan at all, and Carroll County had only one specialized plan serving people with specific health conditions. That left many beneficiaries in the two rural northern counties without a broad choice heading into open enrollment. Governor Kelly Ayotte worked with CMS to address the coverage gap, and the agency approved Devoted Health, a new entrant to New Hampshire's Medicare Advantage market for 2027, to offer plans in both counties. Those plans are set to become available on November 1, 2026, partway through the annual enrollment window that runs through December 7. Devoted Health was already approved to offer plans in other New Hampshire counties for 2027 and will now also serve Carroll and Coos. For the 2027 plan year, New Hampshire will have 20 Medicare Advantage plans from three organizations: Humana, UnitedHealth Group, and Devoted Health. Beneficiaries in Carroll and Coos counties who want to compare the new options are encouraged to wait until November 1, when the plans are expected to appear on Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Those who prefer not to wait can still enroll in traditional Medicare or a plan offered by another carrier already active in New Hampshire. The late approval shows how CMS can add contracts after its standard filing cycle when geographic gaps emerge.

Two rural NH counties had no standard Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. After state-federal collaboration, Devoted Health plans arrive November 1.

In plain words

Seniors in two northern New Hampshire counties had no regular Medicare Advantage plans to pick from for 2027. Those counties are Coos and Carroll. The governor and the federal Medicare agency worked together to fix this. A company called Devoted Health was approved to offer plans there. Those plans will show up on Medicare's website starting November 1. Annual enrollment runs through December 7. If you live in one of these counties and want to see the new choices, wait until November 1 to check them. You can also stay in regular Medicare if you prefer.

Understand the basics first

Source: NHPR
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