Cortez and Montezuma County · Medicare Advantage 2027
Is HealthSpring Preferred Ending in Cortez, CO for 2027?
If you live in Cortez, Dolores or Mancos and carry a HealthSpring card, odds are you are in the single most popular Medicare Advantage plan in Montezuma County. That plan number ends on December 31. A plan with the same name is for sale for 2027, but it is a different plan with different costs, and the county's whole shelf has shrunk to two choices. Here is what the CMS files and HealthSpring's own documents say.
The short answer
- Yes, H0672-024 ends. CMS's 2027 crosswalk lists HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H0672-024 as terminated. It had 823 Montezuma County members in September 2026, about a third of everyone on an Advantage plan in the county.
- The new HealthSpring Preferred is a new plan. H2752-007 is still $0 a month, but its out-of-pocket cap is $7,150 instead of $4,700, and hospital days, specialists and brand-name drugs cost more.
- Cortez is down to two open plans. For 2027, the only Advantage plans anyone can join in Montezuma County are that HealthSpring HMO and one Humana PPO. Both Humana plans that charged a premium are gone.
- Check Southwest Memorial first. Southwest Health System lists HealthSpring among its Medicare Advantage contracts. Humana is not on its list.
Read the full transcript
Eight hundred twenty-three people in Montezuma County are in a Medicare Advantage plan that ends December 31: HealthSpring Preferred. If you live in Cortez, Dolores or Mancos and carry a HealthSpring card, this is probably you. Here's what to know. First, there's a new plan with the same name, but it is a different plan. It's still $0 a month, but the out-of-pocket cap jumps from $4,700 to $7,150, and hospital days, specialist visits and brand-name drugs cost more. Second, the federal plan files show no automatic move into it. If your letter says your plan is ending and you do nothing, you go back to Original Medicare on January 1 with no drug plan. Third, Cortez is down to just two open plans for 2027: that HealthSpring HMO and one Humana PPO. Southwest Memorial lists HealthSpring among its contracts, but not Humana, so call the hospital before you choose. Open Enrollment runs through December 7. And as always, grab your free copy of Medicare Breakdown — The Alphabet Soup of Medicare. The link is right below this video. Or grab a free fifteen-minute call with Medicare on Main at 970-644-6954.
What the letter in your mailbox is telling you
Every Medicare Advantage plan that does not continue has to mail its members a notice by early October. For Montezuma County, CMS's 2027 plan crosswalk, the file that records where each 2026 plan's members go, has three entries that matter:
- HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H0672-024: "Terminated/Non-renewed Contract." No 2027 plan receives its members.
- HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H2752-007: "New Plan," with no earlier plan feeding into it.
- Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) H5216-435: renewed, and still listed in Montezuma County for 2027.
Put those together and the most likely reading is that HealthSpring members in Cortez received a non-renewal notice, not an Annual Notice of Change moving them into the new plan. Your own letter is the final word. If it names H2752-007 and says you will be enrolled, you were moved. If it says your plan "will not be offered," nothing carries over and you choose. Our post on telling a discontinued plan from a changed one shows both kinds of wording.
The plan is not ending because of anything you did, and you do not lose Medicare. Your Part A and Part B continue. Only the Advantage plan stops.
Same name, different plan: the 2026 and 2027 versions side by side
HealthSpring's own Summaries of Benefits, 2026 for H0672-024 and 2027 for H2752-007, read like two different plans:
| What you pay | 2026: H0672-024 | 2027: H2752-007 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly premium | $0 | $0 |
| Out-of-pocket cap (in network) | $4,700 | $7,150 |
| Medical deductible | None | $250, on a listed set of services |
| Hospital stay | $290 a day, days 1–6 | $425 a day, days 1–7 |
| Specialist visit | $35 | $45 |
| Drug deductible, Tiers 3–5 | $250 | $500 |
| Star rating | 3 stars (2026) | Too new to rate |
Sources: HealthSpring 2026 and 2027 Summaries of Benefits; CMS 2027 Star Ratings, which list the H2752 contract as "Not enough data available" because it is new.
The cap is the line that matters most. It is the most you can pay in a year for covered medical care in the network. A bad year on the 2026 plan topped out at $4,700. On the 2027 plan, the same bad year can cost $7,150, or $2,450 more. A single five-day hospital stay works out to $1,450 on the old plan (five days at $290) and $2,125 on the new one (five at $425).
The new plan also adds a $250 medical deductible on a list of services that includes outpatient hospital care, imaging, physical therapy and ambulance rides. Its service area is narrower too: Delta, La Plata, Mesa and Montezuma counties, against 18 Colorado counties for the old plan. If you spend part of the year with family on the Front Range, that matters for an HMO, which, in HealthSpring's words, "may not pay" for care outside its network except in an emergency.
Every general plan in Montezuma County, 2026 to 2027
From CMS's 2026 and 2027 landscape files, matched by plan number, with September 2026 county members from CMS's enrollment file:
| Plan number | Plan | Members, Sept 2026 | 2026 premium · cap | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H0672-024 | HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) | 823 | $0 · cap $4,700 | Ends Dec 31, 2026 |
| H5216-435 | Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) | 488 | $0 · cap $7,850 | Continues: $0 · cap $7,850 |
| H5216-333 | Humana Full Access (PPO) | 55 | $94.00 · cap $3,800 | Ends Dec 31, 2026 |
| H5216-195 | Humana Value Plus (PPO) | 37 | $32.70 · cap $7,050 | Not offered in Montezuma |
| H2752-007 | HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), new number | New | Did not exist | New: $0 · cap $7,150 |
Sources: CMS CY2026 and CY2027 landscape files and the 2027 plan crosswalk; CMS CPSC enrollment, September 2026. Special Needs Plans for people with Medicaid are left out of this table.
Two notes on the Humana rows. Humana Full Access, the $94 plan with the county's lowest cap, is terminated everywhere. Humana Value Plus is a closer call: CMS's crosswalk sends its members to HumanaChoice H5216-223, but that plan is not offered in Montezuma County in 2026 or 2027 (it is next door in Dolores). Our Montezuma County plan-exit page counts it as a non-renewal there. If you are one of those 37 members, your letter says which it is.
So 915 people in the county were in a general plan that does not continue, and the two plans left are both $0 plans with caps above $7,000. Mesa County has 13 general-enrollment plans for 2027 from six carriers, two of them capped at $4,900. Cortez has nothing under $7,000.
Got a HealthSpring letter in Cortez?
Read us the first page by phone or video. We will tell you whether you were moved or your plan is ending, check Southwest Memorial and your doctors against the 2027 plans we offer in Montezuma County, and price the Medigap route next to them. Free, no pressure.
Book a free review →The hospital question in Cortez is narrower than in Grand Junction
Most Cortez care runs through Southwest Health System: Southwest Memorial Hospital and the Southwest Medical Group clinics. Its insurance page says it "is Contracted with and Accepts" these Medicare options: HealthSpring Medicare Advantage, Aetna Medicare Advantage, UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete, Traditional Medicare, and Medigap plans.
Humana is not on that list. The page calls itself a list of "the most common insurance plans we work with," so a missing name does not prove a plan is out of network. It does mean the Humana PPO is the one to check by phone before you choose it. Call Patient Financial Services at 970-564-2131 with the plan number, H5216-435. A PPO will still pay something for out-of-network care, but at a higher cost share, and the higher cap of the two plans is the Humana plan's $7,850.
For specialists, Cortez residents often drive to Durango, Farmington or Grand Junction. Check each one by name in the plan's 2027 directory. Our network-check post walks through how to do that.
The third door: Original Medicare with a Medigap plan
In June 2026, 5,311 of Montezuma County's 7,901 Medicare beneficiaries were on Original Medicare and 2,590 were on Advantage or other plans, per CMS's monthly enrollment data. Two out of three people in the county already skip Advantage plans, and a thin 2027 shelf is a reason to look at that route again.
Original Medicare has no network. Southwest Memorial accepts it, and so does any doctor anywhere in the country who takes Medicare. A Medigap plan covers most of what Original Medicare leaves you to pay, and a separate Part D plan covers drugs.
The window to get there without health questions is the part to get right. Losing a plan that is ending gives you a guaranteed right to buy certain Medigap plans with no medical underwriting, for a limited time around the date the plan ends. In Colorado that right covers Plans A, B, D, G, K and L, but not N. The details, including the 63-day clock, are in our Medigap after your plan ends post, and they apply the same way in Montezuma County.
The tradeoff is cost: a monthly Medigap premium plus a Part D premium, against a $0 Advantage plan with a $7,150 or $7,850 cap. For someone who sees specialists regularly or expects surgery, the math can favor Medigap. For someone healthy who rarely sees a doctor, the $0 plan can win. That is a comparison for your own doctors and prescriptions, not a rule.
Your calendar from here
- Now to December 7: Open Enrollment. A choice made here starts January 1, 2027, with no gap.
- December 31, 2026: H0672-024, Humana Full Access and (in Montezuma) Humana Value Plus coverage ends.
- January 1, 2027: If you chose nothing, you are on Original Medicare with no drug plan.
- December 8 to the end of February: The Special Enrollment Period for people whose plan ended. A choice made in January starts February 1, so days of January go by without drug coverage.
The calm path is to decide before December 7. The prescription check, formulary, tier and pharmacy, is in our drug-coverage post, and what doing nothing costs is in what happens if you don't pick a plan.
What I would do with a Cortez HealthSpring letter
- Find the 2027 plan number in the letter. H2752-007 named as your new plan means you were moved. "Will not be offered" means you choose.
- Price the bad year, not the $0. Both remaining plans are $0. The difference is the cap and the copays for hospital days, imaging and specialists.
- Call Southwest Health System about Humana before you pick the PPO.
- Get a Medigap quote while your guaranteed right is open. Even if you stay on an Advantage plan, it is worth knowing the number.
- Choose by December 7.
I have been helping people through plan changes for more than 22 years. Cortez is a smaller market than Grand Junction, and that is exactly why the choices are fewer and the details matter more.
How we know all this: the Medicare On Main Data Desk frames every article with public data. Here that means CMS's CY2026 and CY2027 Medicare Advantage landscape files (September 2026 releases) and 2027 plan crosswalk, compared by plan number for Montezuma County; CMS's September 2026 county enrollment file and June 2026 monthly enrollment data; CMS's 2027 Star Ratings; HealthSpring's 2026 and 2027 Summaries of Benefits for H0672-024 and H2752-007; and Southwest Health System's insurance page, all read October 20, 2026. Carrier and hospital names are factual reporting, not endorsement. Medicare On Main is not affiliated with Southwest Health System. This is education, not advice. Confirm your own plan with your letter or Medicare.gov, and compare plans with a licensed agent. We take no payment from any carrier to feature a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is HealthSpring leaving Cortez for 2027?
No, but the plan most Cortez members have is ending. HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H0672-024 had 823 Montezuma County members in September 2026, and CMS's 2027 crosswalk lists it as terminated. HealthSpring is selling a new plan with the same name, H2752-007, in Delta, La Plata, Mesa and Montezuma counties. CMS lists it as a new plan with no earlier plan feeding into it, so read your letter before you assume you were moved.
Will I be moved to the new HealthSpring Preferred plan automatically?
Not according to CMS's crosswalk file, which shows no path from H0672-024 to H2752-007. Your letter from HealthSpring is the final word. If it says your plan will not be offered in 2027, nothing happens automatically: if you do not choose, you go back to Original Medicare on January 1 with no drug plan. To keep HealthSpring you would enroll in H2752-007 yourself, between October 15 and December 7 for a January 1 start.
What Medicare Advantage plans are available in Montezuma County for 2027?
Two plans that anyone with Medicare can join: HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H2752-007, $0 with a $7,150 out-of-pocket cap, and Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) H5216-435, $0 with a $7,850 cap. Everything else on CMS's 2027 Montezuma list is a Special Needs Plan for people with Medicaid. There are no UnitedHealthcare or Aetna plans for general enrollment in the county.
Does Southwest Memorial Hospital take Humana Medicare Advantage?
Southwest Health System's insurance page lists HealthSpring, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete Medicare Advantage plans, Traditional Medicare and Medigap. Humana is not on that list. The page says it shows the most common plans, not every contract, so call Patient Financial Services at 970-564-2131 and ask about plan H5216-435 by number before you choose it.
What happens if I do nothing when my Medicare Advantage plan ends?
You return to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, without a Part D drug plan and without a Medigap policy unless you buy one. A Special Enrollment Period then lets you join a different Advantage plan or a drug plan through the end of February. Going that long without drug coverage can add a late-enrollment penalty if it stretches past 63 days, so most people choose before December 31.
Sources
- CMS — CY 2027 Medicare Advantage landscape file (September 2026 release, ZIP): Montezuma County 2027 plans, premiums and caps.
- CMS — CY 2026 Medicare Advantage landscape file (September 2026 release, ZIP): Montezuma County 2026 plans.
- CMS — Plan Crosswalk 2027 (ZIP): H0672-024 terminated; H2752-007 new; H5216-195 consolidated into H5216-223.
- CMS — Monthly Enrollment by Contract/Plan/State/County, September 2026 (ZIP): members by plan in Montezuma County.
- CMS — Medicare Monthly Enrollment, Montezuma County, June 2026 (data.cms.gov): 7,901 beneficiaries; 5,311 Original Medicare; 2,590 Advantage and other.
- CMS — 2027 Medicare Part C and D Star Ratings data: H2752 "Not enough data available."
- HealthSpring — 2027 Summary of Benefits, HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H2752-007 (PDF): service area, $7,150 cap, $250 deductible, copays.
- HealthSpring — 2026 Summary of Benefits, HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) H0672-024 (PDF): $4,700 cap, no deductible, copays.
- Southwest Health System — Acceptable Insurance: Medicare plans Southwest Health System lists as contracted.
- Medicare.gov — Special Enrollment Periods: the plan-ending Special Enrollment Period.
