Carriers
HCSC cuts its Medicare Advantage footprint by more than half for 2027
The Blue Cross licensee that bought Cigna's Medicare business is leaving seven markets and shrinking from 948 counties to 450. That includes deep cuts in Texas, Illinois and Oklahoma.
Health Care Service Corp. is cutting its Medicare Advantage footprint by more than half for 2027, a little more than a year after it bought Cigna’s Medicare business. Agents with former Cigna clients, or Blue Cross clients in Texas, Illinois and Oklahoma, have until December 7 to move the people whose plans are ending.
What’s changing
HCSC’s standard-plan footprint will shrink from 948 counties to 450, the largest pullback of any insurer in the 2027 CMS data, according to Becker’s Payer Issues. It will offer 200 Medicare Advantage plans, down from 283, cutting 48 PPOs and 35 HMOs. Its special needs plan count stays at 51.
HCSC is leaving seven markets entirely: Connecticut, Kansas, Montana, New York, Oregon, Utah and Washington, D.C. It notified third-party marketing organizations about the Connecticut, New York and D.C. exits in mid-September, Modern Healthcare reported. HCSC entered those markets through the Cigna deal.
The cuts reach its own Blue Cross states
The pullback isn’t limited to former Cigna territory. In the states where HCSC operates as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, its county footprint falls from 229 to 47 in Texas, from 100 to 7 in Illinois, and from 58 to 6 in Oklahoma.
Special needs plans are shrinking too, even though the plan count holds steady. Among insurers offering special needs plans in both years, HCSC has a net loss of 264 counties. That includes more than 100 net counties for dual-eligible plans.
How we got here
HCSC completed its purchase of Cigna’s Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Part D and CareAllies businesses on March 19, 2025. At the time it said the deal would not disrupt service for members or brokers, and that it then served 4.3 million Medicare members. Neither HCSC nor the reporting we reviewed has said how many 2027 members are affected by the exits.
What we don’t know yet
HCSC’s 2027 commission schedule is not public, and we have found no reporting on changes to its broker pay. Until your upline or the carrier portal confirms it, assume that replacement HCSC plans may pay differently than the plans being discontinued.
Your move
- Pull every HCSC client, including members still in plans branded Cigna, in Connecticut, Kansas, Montana, New York, Oregon, Utah and D.C. They will need new coverage.
- In Texas, Illinois and Oklahoma, match your Blue Cross Medicare Advantage clients by county against the 2027 plan list as soon as your upline publishes it.
- Look for non-renewal letters, which carriers must date October 2. Contact affected clients before enrollment opens on October 15.
- Choose replacement coverage on each client’s needs. Separately, check each option’s commission status on your upline’s current grid, so you know what you will be paid and can answer compensation questions accurately.
