Medicare Advantage

Got a Plan Cancellation Notice? Read This Before February

For 2027, Glendale is looking at 79 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 13 gone since 2026, and 20 continuing plans that change something in their terms, with 13 more being renamed. Below, how the lineup shifted in Maricopa County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Glendale, this fall's mail is worth opening carefully. The federal government's 2027 plan data for Maricopa County — where Glendale sits — shows 13 Medicare Advantage plans leaving after 2026, 17 new plans arriving for 2027, and 13 more being renamed. Another 20 plans are staying but changing in some way, and 62 are continuing largely as they were.

Here is what that means for local members, and what to do if your plan is on the "leaving" list.

What "leaving," "new" and "renamed" actually mean

Every year, insurers file their plans with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Some plans are retired, some are launched, and some are simply relabeled — same plan, new name on the card. In Maricopa County for 2027:

• Leaving after 2026 (13 plans). These plans will not be available in 2027. Members will need to pick something else or move back to Original Medicare. Plans not being renewed include Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO), Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO), Aetna Medicare Prime Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), Aetna Medicare Prime Extra (HMO), Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO), HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Giveback (HMO), Wellcare Simple Value (HMO), Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP), eternalHealth Grand Give Back (HMO), and SCAN Strive (HMO C-SNP).

• New for 2027 (17 plans). Fresh choices from Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. New plan names include Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO), Blue Best Life Select (HMO), Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP), several Devoted Health plans, Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP), Gold Dialysis Premier (HMO-POS C-SNP), Humana Value Choice (PPO), SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP), SCAN Walmart Medicare Advantage (HMO), SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete (HMO C-SNP), and AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA2 (HMO-POS).

• Renamed (13 plans). Same plan, new name. Examples include several Alignment Health plans (the Heart & Diabetes lineup and the ONE + Walgreens plan), HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) (previously HealthSpring Alliance), HealthSpring Preferred Extra Savings (HMO) (previously Preferred Full Savings), DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 014 AZ (previously DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 014 AZ), eternalHealth Harmony (HMO) (previously eternalHealth + Fry's Medicare Advantage), two Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO) plans, Humana Total Complete (HMO) (previously Humana Gold Plus H4461-056), and UHC Dual Complete AZ-YL (previously AZ-Y001).

The table below on this page lists every plan being offered in Maricopa County for the coming plan year.

If your plan is leaving: what to do

If your carrier is not renewing your plan for 2027, you'll get a non-renewal letter — usually in October. That letter is important. Keep it.

Two enrollment windows open up:

1. Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026). You can pick a new Medicare Advantage plan, switch to Original Medicare, or add a stand-alone Part D drug plan. Anything you choose here starts Jan. 1, 2027.

2. Special Enrollment Period for non-renewals. Because your plan is being discontinued, Medicare gives you extra time — through the end of February 2027 — to make a new choice. You do not have to decide by Dec. 7.

If you do nothing, in most cases you will be moved to Original Medicare on Jan. 1, which means no built-in drug coverage and no set out-of-pocket maximum. That may be fine for some people, but it's a decision worth making on purpose, not by default.

If your plan is renamed or "changing"

A renamed plan is generally the same plan under a new name — your ID card may change, but you are still enrolled. Look for that in your ANOC.

For the 20 plans in Maricopa County that CMS shows as changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name, the specifics live in your Annual Notice of Change. Read it side by side with your current benefits. Even small shifts on drug tiers, deductibles or provider networks can matter over a year.

Program-level facts for 2027 worth knowing

Whatever plan you land on, a few Medicare rules apply everywhere:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the calendar year in monthly installments — optional, no interest.
• IRMAA income surcharges on Part B and Part D start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Glendale sits inside a crowded market

For context, Maricopa County has 79 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027, down from 88 plans from 16 carriers in 2026 — a mix of HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans, including Special Needs Plans for people with certain chronic conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility, or who live in a nursing home. That means most Glendale residents will have several replacement options if their plan leaves.