Medicare Advantage

Choosing a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan in Glendale: a six-step check before Dec. 7

For 2027, Glendale is looking at 92 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 13 gone since 2026, and 33 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 13 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Maricopa County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Fall 2026 is the one stretch of the year when almost every person on Medicare can change their coverage for the next calendar year. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any plan you pick in that window starts January 1, 2027. In Maricopa County, where Glendale sits, the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup looks a little different from this year's — a few plans are leaving, more than a dozen are new, and the federal rules behind your drug coverage are changing again. Here is a plain, step-by-step way to compare what is on the table before the deadline.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Maricopa County for 2027?

Maricopa County has 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027, up from 88 plans this year. By type, that is 56 HMO plans, 19 HMO-POS plans, and 17 PPO plans. 85 of the 92 plans include Part D drug coverage. Those counts come from the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for the 2027 plan year and apply countywide — Glendale residents choose from the same Maricopa County lineup as neighbors in Phoenix, Peoria or Surprise.

The 16 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in the county for 2027 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 by carrier.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Glendale for 2027?

Maricopa County's 2027 lineup includes 40 Special Needs Plans (SNPs): 10 Dual-Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, 25 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with qualifying conditions such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or end-stage renal disease, and 5 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care at home. SNPs have eligibility rules, so not everyone can enroll in them; the plan's materials spell out who qualifies.

What is new or changing for 2027 in Maricopa County?

For the 2027 plan year, Maricopa County has 17 new Medicare Advantage plans, 13 that are not returning, and 13 that are being renamed. If your plan is on the "not returning" list, the carrier is required to mail you a non-renewal notice; you then have a Special Enrollment Period to pick something else. If your plan is being renamed or restructured, the specifics are inside your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which plans mail by late September.

Two Part D changes also take effect January 1, 2027. The annual out-of-pocket cap on covered prescription drugs rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills, continues.

The 2027 standard Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets that add a surcharge for higher earners, had not been announced by CMS as of this writing. CMS typically publishes them in the fall, usually November.

How do I compare 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Glendale, step by step?

Work through the same six checks for each plan you are considering. Doing this in order saves time, because any plan that fails an early check is off the list.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change first. If you already have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, the ANOC is the single most important document you will get this fall. It compares your plan's 2026 rules side-by-side with its 2027 rules — the premium, the deductible, the copays, the drug list, the pharmacy network and the provider network. Read it before you shop; sometimes nothing material has changed and you can simply let the plan renew.

2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Each Medicare Advantage plan has its own network. Look up every doctor you see regularly — primary care, specialists, your preferred hospital in the West Valley — on the plan's online provider directory, or call the plan to confirm. HMO plans generally require you to stay in network except for emergencies; PPO plans let you go out of network at a higher cost; HMO-POS plans sit in the middle for certain services.

3. Check your prescriptions. On medicare.gov, the Medicare Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and your dosages, and it will show you each plan's covered-drug list (the formulary), the tier each drug falls on, any prior authorization rules, and the estimated yearly cost at your preferred pharmacy. This is the step most people skip, and it is where plans differ the most.

4. Check your pharmacy. The same drug can cost very different amounts at an "in-network preferred" pharmacy, an "in-network standard" pharmacy, and an out-of-network pharmacy. If you fill prescriptions at a particular Glendale pharmacy or by mail, make sure it is listed as preferred under any plan you are seriously considering.

5. Add up your likely total yearly cost. Look at the plan premium (on top of your Part B premium), the medical deductible, typical copays for the care you actually use, and the plan's annual out-of-pocket maximum for medical services. Add the drug side separately. A plan with a lower premium can cost more overall if your drugs are on a higher tier or your specialists charge more per visit.

6. Read the rules. Does the plan require referrals to see a specialist? Which services need prior authorization? What does it cover when you travel outside Arizona? Are the extra benefits — dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter, fitness — things you will actually use, or are they window dressing for your situation?

What happens if I do nothing by December 7, 2026?

Nothing dramatic. If your current Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay enrolled, and the changes in your ANOC take effect January 1, 2027. If your plan is not returning, you will get a letter from the carrier; you can pick a new plan during AEP, and you also get a Special Enrollment Period that runs into early 2027 so you are not stuck. If you are in Medicare Advantage and change your mind after January 1, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31, 2027) lets you switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan once, or go back to Original Medicare.

Where should I get personalized help?

Three places give you real, personalized answers at no cost. Medicare.gov has the Plan Finder, the plan documents, and the official enrollment tools. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each carrier's own website and member services line can confirm whether a specific doctor, hospital or drug is covered under a specific plan for 2027 — get that in writing or note the reference number of the call.