Wellcare Medicare plans in the Capital Region
What Wellcare sells to Medicare beneficiaries in New York, what the Capital Region's hospitals say about it in 2026, and how it compares. I'm appointed with Wellcare; I'm also appointed with the carriers it competes with, which is the point.
Wellcare (WellCare of New York, Inc. and WellCare Health Insurance of New York, Inc.; home office Long Island City, New York) sells the following to New York Medicare beneficiaries: Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans with Part D; Dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans; Stand-alone Part D plans. For anyone whose doctors admit to Albany Med or Saratoga Hospital, a Wellcare Advantage plan needs a directory check before enrollment; Wellcare's Part D plans have no such issue because drug plans have no hospital network. I'm appointed with Wellcare and with its competitors; the plan is chosen by checking your doctors, your hospital and your prescriptions against each specific plan, not by carrier name, and there's no fee for the comparison.
Who they are
A Centene company and one of the largest stand-alone Part D sponsors nationally. In the Capital Region, Wellcare Medicare Advantage is listed by St. Peter's Health Partners and Ellis Medicine but does not appear on the Albany Med Health System's list, which covers Albany Medical Center, Saratoga Hospital and Glens Falls Hospital.
Plans are issued by WellCare of New York, Inc. and WellCare Health Insurance of New York, Inc., home office Long Island City, New York (25-01 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, as listed by NY DFS; parent Centene Corporation is in St. Louis, Missouri). Named here because New York Insurance Law §2122(b) requires a licensee who names an insurer to give its full name and home-office city.
What Wellcare sells to Medicare beneficiaries in New York
- Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans with Part D
- Dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans
- Stand-alone Part D plans
Not every product is sold in every county, and I don't offer every Wellcare plan. What I can quote for your ZIP code is settled in the first call.
Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans in the counties I cover, 2027
10 Wellcare plans are filed in the 17 counties I cover for 2027 (Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren and Washington in person, the others by phone and video), according to the CMS landscape file read October 27, 2026. Premiums, benefits and star ratings are in each plan's own documents; which of these I can enroll you in, and whether one fits, is the comparison against your doctors and prescriptions.
| Plan | Type | Sold in |
|---|---|---|
| Wellcare Assist Open (PPO) | PPO | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Dual Access Open (PPO D-SNP) | PPO D-SNP | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Assist (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) | HMO D-SNP | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) | HMO D-SNP | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) | HMO D-SNP | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Patriot Simple (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Fidelis Simple (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Otsego, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) | PPO | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
| Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) | PPO | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington, Montgomery, Fulton, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Ulster, Dutchess |
Every carrier's plans, county by county: Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington.
What changed for Wellcare from 2026 to 2027
Across the six Capital Region counties: 1 new plan, 7 plans no longer sold, 2 renamed or moved to a new plan ID. Every other Wellcare plan continues under the same plan ID; its premium, network and benefits can still change, and your Annual Notice of Change lists what did.
| Change | Plan | Plan ID | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| New for 2027 | Wellcare Fidelis Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) | H5599-016 | All six |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Advantage Enhanced (PFFS) | H2816-037 | All six |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Advantage Simple (PFFS) | H2816-038 | All six |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Dual Access (HMO D-SNP) | H4868-004 | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Patriot Simple (HMO-POS) | H4868-003 | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Premium Enhanced (PFFS) | H2816-019 | All six |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Premium Ultra (PFFS) | H2816-013 | All six |
| No longer sold | Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) | H4868-019 | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer |
| Renamed | Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align (HMO D-SNP) → Wellcare Fidelis Dual Align Unity (HMO D-SNP) | H5599-003 | All six |
| New plan ID, same plan | Wellcare Fidelis Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP) | H5599-013-1 → H5599-014 | All six |
If your plan is on the "no longer sold" list, you can choose another plan or return to Original Medicare without waiting for the usual window; the enrollment check shows your dates, and in New York you can also apply for a Medigap policy in any month.
From the CMS landscape files for 2026 and 2027, read October 27, 2026. The comparison covers the six Capital Region counties; the other counties on this site have no 2026 list here to compare against. Every carrier's changes, county by county: what changed for 2027.
Capital Region hospitals and Wellcare Medicare Advantage, 2026
| Hospital system | On the hospital's list? | Note from the list |
|---|---|---|
| Albany Med Health System Albany Medical Center (Albany), Saratoga Hospital (Saratoga Springs), Glens Falls Hospital, Columbia Memorial (Hudson), Malta Med Emergent Care | Not listed — verify | not on any of the system's lists; confirm with the plan |
| St. Peter's Health Partners St. Peter's Hospital (Albany), Samaritan Hospital (Troy), Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital (Schenectady), St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates | Listed | |
| Ellis Medicine Ellis Hospital (Schenectady), Bellevue Woman's Center (Niskayuna), Medical Center of Clifton Park, Ellis Health Center | Listed |
From the three systems' accepted-insurance pages, read October 15, 2026. "Listed" means the carrier appears on the hospital's list, not that every plan or every physician is in network; "Not accepted" means the hospital states the exclusion; "Not listed" means the carrier is absent from the list, which is unverified rather than excluded. Check the specific plan's directory either way. The full matrix and the hospitals' own wording are on which plans Capital Region hospitals accept; where each Wellcare plan stands, hospital by hospital: Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital, Ellis Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, Samaritan Hospital, Glens Falls Hospital.
What to watch
For anyone whose doctors admit to Albany Med or Saratoga Hospital, a Wellcare Advantage plan needs a directory check before enrollment; Wellcare's Part D plans have no such issue because drug plans have no hospital network.
How I use this
I'm appointed with Wellcare and with its competitors, and I'm paid by the carrier rather than by you, at commission rates that Medicare caps for Advantage and Part D plans, so the comparison is a fair one. Every recommendation starts with your doctors and your hospital checked against the specific plan's directory, then your prescriptions priced through its formulary, then the total yearly cost. When a Wellcare plan is the right answer I'll say so; when it isn't, I'll say that too. Ask for a comparison, or read how to choose a Medicare plan in New York first. Official plan details: Wellcare's Medicare site.
- Wellcare Medicare (carrier site)
- Insurance company directory (NY Department of Financial Services) — legal entity names and home-office addresses, checked September 16, 2026
- Accepted insurance (Albany Med Health System)
- Accepted insurance (St. Peter's Health Partners)
- Participating insurance listing (Ellis Medicine)
- Comparison of 2026 Medicare Supplement premiums (NY DFS)
- Insurance Law §2122, advertising by licensees (New York State Senate)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 81 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Insurers' legal names and home offices: carriers page.
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
Do you sell Wellcare Medicare plans?
Yes. I'm appointed with Wellcare and with the other carriers active in the Capital Region, and I'm paid by the carrier rather than by you. Not every Wellcare plan is available in every county, and I don't offer every plan; I'll tell you which ones I can quote for your ZIP code.
Does Albany Med accept Wellcare Medicare Advantage?
See the hospital table on this page, taken from the Albany Med Health System's own accepted-insurance list as read October 15, 2026, and remember that a carrier on the list does not guarantee every plan or physician is in network; the specific plan's directory is the final check.
Is Wellcare the right choice for me?
Only your doctors, hospital, prescriptions and budget can answer that. A Wellcare plan is right when those check out against the specific plan, and wrong when they don't, regardless of what the carrier's advertising says. I run that comparison across carriers at no fee.
Ask for a Medicare comparison
Your doctors, your prescriptions and your ZIP code are all I need to start. No fee for plan comparison or enrollment.