Medicare Advantage

Before Dec. 7: a Gilbert Medicare Advantage checklist

Maricopa County has 92 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 13 plans are not coming back, 17 are new, and 33 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 13 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Gilbert, not which plan to pick.

Gilbert, Ariz. — Fall 2026 is the one stretch of the year when almost every Medicare Advantage member can change plans for the coming year. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and anything you pick in that window starts January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year — but with the changes spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change.

For Gilbert residents, the 2027 lineup in Maricopa County has shifted a bit, and the yearly Part D rules are moving too. Here is a step-by-step way to compare your choices before the deadline, without guesswork.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Gilbert for 2027?

Gilbert is in Maricopa County, where 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers are available for the 2027 plan year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. That is up from 88 plans in 2026.

By plan type, the 2027 county total breaks down as 56 HMO, 19 HMO-POS, and 17 PPO plans. 85 of the 92 plans include Part D prescription drug coverage. The county also has a strong Special Needs Plan (SNP) presence: 25 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNP), 10 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP), and 5 Institutional SNPs (I-SNP) for 2027.

The 16 carriers offering 2027 plans in the county, in alphabetical order, are: Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Banner Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), eternalHealth, Gold Kidney Health Plan, HealthSpring, Humana, Mercy Care Advantage, Molina Healthcare of Arizona, SCAN Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, and Verda Health Plan of Arizona. The table below lists every plan these carriers offer in the county.

What is new in Maricopa County's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup?

For 2027, Maricopa County has 17 new Medicare Advantage plans, 13 plans not returning, and some renamed plans. If your plan is on the "not returning" list, your carrier must notify you, and you have time during the Annual Enrollment Period to pick a different plan.

Among the carriers listed above, Devoted Health has the largest 2027 plan count in the county at 16, followed by Humana at 15, UnitedHealthcare at 9, and SCAN Health Plan at 8. These counts are simply what each carrier files with CMS; they are not a measure of quality or fit.

What is a Special Needs Plan, and who qualifies?

Special Needs Plans are Medicare Advantage plans built for people in specific situations. Maricopa County has three kinds for 2027:

• D-SNPs (10 plans) — for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNPs (25 plans) — for people with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure, or chronic kidney disease.
• I-SNPs (5 plans) — for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care.

If you think a SNP may fit, call the plan or 1-800-MEDICARE to confirm you qualify.

How do I compare Gilbert Medicare Advantage plans step by step before December 7?

Work through these six checks in order. They are the ones most likely to catch a bad fit before you enroll.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan mails this each September. It lists exactly what is changing for 2027 — the premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placement, provider network, and extras. If nothing in the ANOC bothers you, you may be fine letting it renew.

2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Call each doctor's office or look them up in the plan's online provider directory. Ask specifically whether they will be in-network for the 2027 contract year. HMO and HMO-POS plans generally require in-network providers; PPO plans allow out-of-network care at a higher cost.

3. Check your prescriptions. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare and enter every drug you take, with doses. The tool will show each plan's covered drug list (formulary), tier, and whether the drug needs prior authorization.

4. Check your pharmacy. Plans have "preferred" and "standard" network pharmacies, and your costs can differ a lot between them. Confirm your pharmacy's status in the plan you are considering, or see which pharmacy near you is preferred.

5. Look at the full cost picture, not just the premium. Add the monthly premium, deductible, expected copays, and any drug costs. In 2027, no Part D plan can charge you more than $2,400 out of pocket for covered drugs, and the maximum Part D deductible is $700 (up from $2,100 and $615 in 2026).

6. Note the plan type and rules. HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans handle referrals, out-of-network care and travel differently. Make sure the rules match how you actually use care.

What Medicare costs for 2027 are known, and what is still coming?

CMS has confirmed these 2027 Part D figures:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Maximum Part D deductible: $700 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 (a formula input, not what any single plan charges).

The coverage gap (donut hole) remains eliminated, as it has been since 2025. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments if that helps your budget.

Not yet announced: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. CMS typically publishes these in the fall, usually in November. Check medicare.gov for the official numbers once they post.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7?

If your plan is offered again in 2027, you stay in it automatically, with the changes described in your ANOC. If your plan is not returning for 2027, you will get a non-renewal notice and can choose a new Medicare Advantage plan during the Annual Enrollment Period, or return to Original Medicare (with the option to add a stand-alone Part D plan).

You also get a second window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, 2027, lets anyone already in a Medicare Advantage plan switch to a different MA plan once, or drop back to Original Medicare.