Plan year 2027 · Medicare AdvantageCMS files of Sept. 22 and Oct. 1, 2026

Wellcare Simple, 2027

H1862Contract005Plan

HMO-POS · 76 counties in Iowa

Run by Wellcare of Iowa, Inc. (contract H1862), sold as Wellcare, owned by Centene Corporation

Renews in fewer counties

2026 star rating, contract H1862: not rated (too little data)

Wellcare Simple (H1862-005) costs $0 a month in 2027, the same as in 2026, with an in-network out-of-pocket limit of $4,400. It leaves 6 counties it served in 2026, where 470 of its members lived; they choose another plan for 2027 (the counties are listed below).

What changes from 2026 to 2027?

The changed lines are marked and come first. In-network amounts; members keep paying the Part B premium unless the plan reduces it.
What you pay or get	2026	2027	Change
Drug deductible	$615	$700	up $85
Specialist visit	$25 copay	$15 copay	down $10
Skilled nursing facility, in network	$0 a day for days 1–20, then $218 a day for days 21–50, then $0 a day for days 51–100	$0 a day for days 1–20, then $100 a day for days 21–50, then $0 a day for days 51–100	down $1,180for a 30-day stay
Ground ambulance, in network	$300 copay	$295 copay	down $5
Eyewear, yearly limit	$300 a year	$100 a year	down $200
Hearing aids, yearly limit for both ears	$1,000 a year	not offered	dropped
Counties served	75	76	up 1
Drug tier 1, generic	$5	$10	up $5
Drug tier 2, preferred brand	$10	25% of the cost	changed
Drug tier 3, non-preferred drug	25% of the cost	36% of the cost	up 11 points
Drug tier 4, injectable drugs	36% of the cost	15% of the cost	down 21 points
11 lines do not change
Monthly premium	$0	$0	no change
In-network out-of-pocket limit	$4,400	$4,400	no change
Part B premium reduction, monthly	none	none	no change
Primary care visit	$0 copay	$0 copay	no change
Emergency room	$130 copay	$130 copay	no change
Medical deductible, in network	none	none	no change
Hospital stay, in network	$350 a day for days 1–6, then $0 a day for days 7–90	$350 a day for days 1–6, then $0 a day for days 7–90	no change
Comprehensive dental, yearly limit	$3,000 a year	$3,000 a year	no change
Over-the-counter items, yearly	not offered	not offered	no change
Drug tier 5, specialty tier	25% of the cost	25% of the cost	no change
Drug tier 6, select care drugs	$0	$0	no change

Source: CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files for 2027 (Sept. 22, 2026, revised Sept. 30) and 2026 (Sept. 2, 2026 revision); CMS plan benefit package files, 2027 and 2026; CMS plan crosswalk from 2026 to 2027 (Oct. 1, 2026). Plan details can change during the year; confirm on Medicare Plan Finder.

What will prescriptions cost?

Your share for a 30-day supply at a retail pharmacy, as filed with CMS; tiers whose share changes are marked. The plan charges less at its preferred pharmacies
Tier	What the tier holds	2026, standard pharmacy	2027, standard pharmacy	2027, preferred pharmacy
Tier 1	Generic	$5	$10	$0
Tier 2	Preferred Brand	$10	25% of the cost	25% of the cost
Tier 3	Non-Preferred Drug	25% of the cost	36% of the cost	35% of the cost
Tier 4	Injectable Drugs	36% of the cost	15% of the cost	15% of the cost
Tier 5	Specialty Tier	25% of the cost	25% of the cost	25% of the cost
Tier 6	Select Care Drugs	$0	$0	$0

Source: CMS plan benefit package files, 2027 and 2026. Insulin is capped at $35 a month by law. A drug's tier is set by the plan's formulary.

How does it compare with plans sold where it is?

In the counties it serves, 49 plans open to everyone are sold for 2027, this one included. Against the others, 3 plans have a lower out-of-pocket limit, 1 the same, 37 a higher one. On the premium, 24 the same, 24 a higher one.

Out-of-pocket limits of the 49 plans open to everyone

$0 to under $2,0000 plans

$2,000 to under $4,0000 plans

$4,000 to under $6,000 (this plan)20 plans

$6,000 to under $8,00019 plans

$8,000 to $10,0003 plans

Source: CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files for 2027 (Sept. 22, 2026, revised Sept. 30) and 2026 (Sept. 2, 2026 revision).

Where is it sold, and what does it cost there?

It stops serving 6 counties it served in 2026 (listed in the next section).

The premium and the out-of-pocket limit are the same in all 76 counties: $0 a month and $4,400.

Iowa

Adair Adams Appanoose Audubon Benton Boone Buchanan Butler Carroll Cass Cedar Cerro Gordo Chickasaw Clarke Clayton Clinton Crawford Dallas Davis Decatur Delaware Des Moines Floyd Franklin Fremont Greene Grundy Guthrie Hamilton Hancock Hardin Harrison Henry Howard Iowa Jackson Jasper Jefferson Johnson Jones Keokuk Kossuth Lee Linn Louisa Lucas Madison Mahaska Marion Mills Mitchell Monona Monroe Montgomery Muscatine O'Brien Osceola Page Polk Pottawattamie Poweshiek Ringgold Shelby Sioux Tama Taylor Union Van Buren Wapello Warren Washington Wayne Winnebago Winneshiek Worth Wright

Source: CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files for 2027 (Sept. 22, 2026, revised Sept. 30) and 2026 (Sept. 2, 2026 revision).

What if you live in a county it leaves?

Its 2026 members in the 6 counties listed below cannot stay in it for 2027; each county page lists the 2027 plans sold there.

Your coverage: This plan ends for you on December 31, 2026, because it is no longer sold where you live.
October 15 to December 7, 2026: Open enrollment: join another Medicare Advantage plan, or Original Medicare with a drug plan. Coverage starts January 1, 2027.
December 8, 2026 to the end of February 2027: A special enrollment period because the plan is leaving: you can still join a plan, but coverage starts the first day of the month after you join, so choose by December 31 to have no gap.
If you do nothing: You are enrolled in Original Medicare when the plan ends, without a drug plan unless you join one (with Extra Help or full Medicaid, Medicare enrolls you in one).
Without a drug plan: Going 63 days or more in a row without drug coverage can mean a late enrollment penalty if you join a drug plan later; joining by the end of February keeps a January and February gap under 63 days, waiting longer does not.
If you choose Original Medicare: You have a guaranteed right to buy Medigap Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K or L sold in your state by any insurance company; if you were new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Plans D and G take the place of C and F. Apply from 60 days before to 63 days after the plan ends; the policy starts once your Medicare Advantage coverage ends. Other Medigap plans are not covered by this right.

The 6 counties it leaves, most members first
County	Members, Sept. 2026
Scott, IA	319
Woodbury, IA	89
Fayette, IA	39
Bremer, IA	23
Cherokee, IA	fewer than 11
Ida, IA	fewer than 11

Source: CMS plan crosswalk from 2026 to 2027 (Oct. 1, 2026); CMS monthly enrollment by plan and by county, September 2026 (CMS hides counts under 11); Medicare.gov, “Special enrollment periods” and “When can I buy Medigap?” (read Oct. 7, 2026).

Who runs this plan?

Plan ID: H1862-005
Legal name of the contract: Wellcare of Iowa, Inc.
Sold as: Wellcare
Parent company: Centene Corporation
Plan type: HMO-POS
2026 star rating of the contract: not rated (too little data) overall; health plan not rated, drug plan 3.5 of 5
Members, September 2026: 8,391
Plan website, as filed with CMS: go.wellcare.com/IA

Source: CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape files for 2027 (Sept. 22, 2026, revised Sept. 30) and 2026 (Sept. 2, 2026 revision); CMS 2026 Star Ratings (October 2025); CMS monthly enrollment by plan and by county, September 2026 (CMS hides counts under 11). CMS publishes the 2027 Star Ratings in October 2026.

What else should you check?

Other 2027 plans in Linn, IAWhere most of its members live; premiums and limits side by side
Every Wellcare plan for 2027Its contracts, counties and plans that end
The other 3 plans of contract H1862Same company, same contract
Is your prescription covered?Coverage share and tier for 2,259 drugs

Data, not advice. These are the plan's filed amounts, not a quote for you; confirm on Medicare Plan Finder or call the plan before you enroll.