Your plan ends after 2026 · Mecklenburg County, NC · 2027 plan year
Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) ends after 2026: your options in Mecklenburg County, NC
Medicare.gov compares Medicare Advantage plans with each other. This page also shows Original Medicare, so you can see the full trade-off: premiums, copays, the yearly limit, extra benefits, and the rules about doctors and approvals.
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Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) ends on December 31, 2026.
Because your plan is ending, you can pick a new Medicare Advantage plan, a drug plan, or go back to Original Medicare. If you do nothing, you go to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027.
Because your plan is leaving Medicare, you have a right to buy certain Medigap plans with no health questions. The window starts 60 days before your coverage ends and closes 63 days after it ends.
Read about these rights on Medicare.gov2027 option: Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
- Plan premium
- $0 a month
- Yearly limit, in network
- $7,150
- 2027 star rating
- 3 of 5
- Prior authorization needed for
- 20 services
In most states, including North Carolina, you cannot count on getting Medigap later
You can buy any Medigap plan with no health questions in the 6 months that start when you are 65 or older and have Part B. After that, a Medigap company in North Carolina can ask about your health. It can say no, or it can charge you more. So if you join a Medicare Advantage plan now, you may not be able to get Medigap later.
Because your plan is ending, you get a right to buy Medigap with no health questions. The right starts 60 days before your plan ends and lasts until 63 days after it ends. If you choose another Medicare Advantage plan instead, you may not get this chance again.
One exception is the trial right. If you joined Medicare Advantage when you first got Medicare at 65, or you left a Medigap plan to try Medicare Advantage for the first time, you can switch back within 12 months. Then you can buy a Medigap plan with no health questions.
Read about Medigap rights on Medicare.govYour yearly cost, side by side
Move the controls to match your year. Totals include premiums, the Part B premium, copays, and drug costs.
Want to check your exact drugs? Medicare.gov lets you enter each drug and shows what each plan charges for it. Enter your drugs on Medicare.gov
Medicare.gov lists $114 to $505 a month for a 65-year-old woman who does not use tobacco. We start at the lowest price. Health questions can raise the price after your first 6 months with Part B.
Original Medicare
With Medigap Plan G at $114 a month and Wellcare Value Script (PDP)
$6,413 a year
- Premiums
- $3,946
- Medical costs
- $292
- Drugs
- $2,175
Most you can pay in a bad year, before drugs: $4,238.
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
PPO from Wellcare
$6,114 a year
- Premiums
- $2,514
- Medical costs
- $1,425
- Drugs
- $2,175
Most you can pay in a bad year, before drugs: $9,664.
With these settings, Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) costs about $299 less a year than Original Medicare.
Tipping point for Wellcare Simple Open (PPO): with this drug use, if your medical copays and coinsurance in this plan pass $1,724 in a year, Original Medicare with Plan G costs less. The plan caps those costs at $7,150.
These are estimates, not quotes. Check every number with Medicare (Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE) and with the plan before you choose. What you pay depends on your doctors and hospitals, your drugs and pharmacy, and the care you use. Drug costs use typical prices for generic and brand-name drugs. Original Medicare amounts are 2027 projections from the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report. CMS sets the final amounts in November.
Text us about this comparisonWhat you pay each time you get care
In-network costs for one visit or one stay. The Original Medicare amounts follow your Medigap choice above: Plan G.
Primary doctor visit
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$0
Specialist visit
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$20
Prior authorization
Lab tests
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
most Medicare-covered tests
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$0-$50
Prior authorization
MRI or CT scan
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$0-$450
Prior authorization
Emergency room
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$130
Urgent care
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$30
Outpatient surgery
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$350
Prior authorization
Ground ambulance
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
after the $292 yearly Part B deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$350
Prior authorization
Hospital stay, 5 days
Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G
$0
Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
$1,850
for a 5-day stay
Prior authorization
See every cost in one table
| What you pay in network | Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G | Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly premium | Part B $209.50 + Medigap Plan G $114 + drug plan $5.30 | $0 + Part B $209.50 |
| Yearly limit on what you pay | You pay the $292 Part B deductible. Plan G pays the rest. | $7,150 in network; $10,750 in and out of network |
| Medical deductible | $292 Part B. Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible. | $0 |
| Primary doctor visit | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $0 copay |
| Specialist visit | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $20 copayPrior authorization |
| Lab tests | $0, most Medicare-covered tests | $0-$50 copayPrior authorization |
| MRI or CT scan | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $0-$450 copayPrior authorization |
| X-rays | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $25 copayPrior authorization |
| Emergency room | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $130 copay |
| Urgent care | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $30 copay |
| Outpatient hospital | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $0-$500 copayPrior authorization |
| Surgery center | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $350 copayPrior authorization |
| Ground ambulance | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $350 copayPrior authorization |
| Hospital stay | $0, Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible | $370 per day for days 1-6; $0 per day for days 7-90Prior authorization |
| Skilled nursing facility | $0, Plan G pays days 21-100 | $0 per day for days 1-20; $221 per day for days 21-60; $0 per day for days 61-100Prior authorization |
| Mental health visit | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $25 copayPrior authorization |
| Physical therapy | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | $20 copayPrior authorization |
| Home health care | $0, Medicare-covered home health | $0 copayPrior authorization |
| Medical equipment | $0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible | 20% coinsurancePrior authorization |
| Part B drugs | $0 after the $292 Part B deductible | 0%-20% coinsurancePrior authorization |
| Drug deductible (Part D) | $700 with Wellcare Value Script (PDP) | $700 |
| Drug tiers (one month, retail) | Generic: $0 copayPreferred Brand: 25% coinsuranceNon-Preferred Drug: 45% coinsuranceInjectable Drugs: 15% coinsuranceSpecialty Tier: 25% coinsuranceSelect Care Drugs: $11 copay | Generic: $0 copayPreferred Brand: 25% coinsuranceNon-Preferred Drug: 34% coinsuranceInjectable Drugs: 15% coinsuranceSpecialty Tier: 25% coinsuranceSelect Care Drugs: $0 copay |
Not sure which of these costs apply to you?
Text us what you have now. We will help you read this comparison and check it with Medicare.gov.
A higher drug plan premium is not, by itself, a reason to switch
With Original Medicare, you buy a separate drug plan. In North Carolina, 11 drug plans are for sale for 2027, from $5.30 to $239.20 a month. Half of them cost $130.20 a month or less.
- Every 2027 drug plan limits what you pay for covered drugs to $2,400 a year. The drug coverage in Medicare Advantage plans has the same limit.
- The premium is one part of your yearly cost. The calculator above adds premiums, medical costs, and drug costs, so you can see the whole year.
- A Medicare Advantage plan can cost less in a light year. But you also take on its network and prior authorization rules, and you may not be able to get Medigap later.
- If your income is limited, Extra Help can pay most of your drug plan premium and drug costs. Check Extra Help at SSA.gov
Doctors, referrals, and prior authorization
Cost is one side. The other side is how you get care. These rules come from the CMS plan files. Prior authorization means the plan must approve a service before you get it.
Original Medicare
- Any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that takes Medicare
- No referrals
- Prior authorization only for a short list of services
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
PPO
- The plan has a network. You can go outside it, but you pay more.
- No referral needed to see a specialist.
Prior authorization for 20 services
Specialist visits, Diagnostic tests, MRI or CT, Radiation therapy, Outpatient hospital, Surgery center, Ambulance, Mental health visits, Psychiatrist visits, Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, Home health, Partial hospitalization, Medical equipment, Prosthetics, Diabetic supplies, Substance use care, Hospital stay, Skilled nursing, Part B drugs
Extra benefits
| Extra benefit | Original Medicare | Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) |
|---|---|---|
| Dental | No | Comprehensive, up to $1,500 a year |
| Eye exam | No | Yes |
| Glasses or contacts | No | Yes, $200 allowance |
| Hearing aids | No | Yes, up to $500 |
| Over-the-counter allowance | No | $204 a year |
| Fitness benefit | No | Yes |
| Rides to care | No | No |
| Meals after a hospital stay | No | No |
| Emergency care abroad | Plan G and Plan N pay 80% after a $250 deductible | Yes |
| Part B premium giveback | No | No |
What changed for 2027
Wellcare Simple Open (PPO)
Renewal Plan · 2026 plan H1914-007-0
- In-network out-of-pocket maximum up from $4,300 to $7,150
- Drug deductible up from $615 to $700
- Diagnostic radiology (MRI, CT): $0-$280 copay to $0-$450 copay
- Outpatient hospital: $0-$400 copay to $0-$500 copay
- Inpatient hospital: $325 per day for days 1-6; $0 per day for days 7-90 to $370 per day for days 1-6; $0 per day for days 7-90
- Skilled nursing facility: $0 per day for days 1-20; $218 per day for days 21-50; $0 per day for days 51-100 to $0 per day for days 1-20; $221 per day for days 21-60; $0 per day for days 61-100
- Dental maximum down from $4,000 to $1,500
- Yearly OTC allowance down from $480 to $204
- Overall star rating down from 3.5 to 3
More 2027 plans in Mecklenburg County
- Humana Gold Plus H1036-335 (HMO-POS)
- Blue Medicare Essential Plus (HMO-POS), H3449-023
- AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NC-15 (HMO-POS), H5253-117
- AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC NC-0021 (HMO-POS), H5253-037
- Blue Medicare PPO Enhanced (PPO), H3404-003
- Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO), H5521-081
- Blue Medicare Enhanced (HMO-POS), H3449-024
- HumanaChoice Giveback H5525-035 (PPO)
County guide: 2027 plans in Mecklenburg CountyState guide: North Carolina
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Sources and method
Plan data comes from the CMS 2027 Plan Benefit Package and landscape files. The data is from 2026-10-10. We checked a sample of plans field by field against Medicare.gov. Original Medicare amounts are the 2027 projections in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report (Tables V.E1 and V.E2). CMS sets the final amounts in November. Medigap prices are the range Medicare.gov showed for ZIP 28202 on 2026-10-09. Totals use typical Medicare-allowed amounts for each service and typical drug prices.
- Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) on Medicare.gov · plan website · drug list · doctor directory
- Medigap prices for ZIP 28202 on Medicare.gov
- CMS Plan Benefit Package files, 2027
- CMS 2027 landscape files (premiums and limits)
- CMS 2027 plan crosswalk
- CMS 2027 Star Ratings
- 2026 Medicare Trustees Report: projected 2027 Part A and Part B amounts (Tables V.E1 and V.E2)
- CMS 2026 Part A and Part B amounts
- Medicare.gov: Medigap guaranteed issue rights
These are estimates, not quotes, and they are for education only. Check every number with Medicare and with the plan before you choose. What you pay depends on your doctors and hospitals, your drugs and pharmacy, and the care you use. Plans can change their benefits, premiums, drug lists, and networks each year.
Pinnie is not an insurance agent or broker and does not sell Medicare plans. Pinnie is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. For all your options, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.