Medicare Advantage

17 new Medicare Advantage plans arrive in Mesa for 2027: the full list

People in Mesa can choose from 92 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 88 this year. 13 of this year’s plans are gone, 17 are new to Maricopa County, and 33 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 13 of them under a new name.

MESA, Ariz. — Shoppers in Mesa opening their 2027 Medicare Advantage choices this fall will see something they could not pick a year ago: 17 Medicare Advantage plans that are brand new for 2027 in Maricopa County, the county Mesa sits in. They come from nine carriers, and some are standard HMO or PPO plans while others are Special Needs Plans for people with specific health conditions or dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility.

A "new" plan is not a renamed one. It is a contract CMS did not list in Maricopa County for 2026, which means there is no local track record yet — no past member experience in this market and no Star Rating for the plan on the Medicare Plan Finder. That is a program fact, not a reason to pick one or avoid one. It just means your homework before December 7, 2026 is a little different than with a plan you (or your neighbor) already know.

Who is adding plans in Mesa for 2027

The full table below lists every plan. Grouped by carrier, the new 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 2 new plans: Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) and Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO).
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona — 1 new plan: Blue Best Life Select (HMO).
• Centene (WellCare) — 1 new plan: Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP).
• Devoted Health — 6 new plans: DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 092 AZ (HMO C-SNP), DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 104 AZ (HMO C-SNP), DEVOTED C-SNP PLUS 093 AZ (HMO C-SNP), DEVOTED CORE 090 AZ (HMO), DEVOTED GIVEBACK 091 AZ (HMO) and DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 105 AZ (HMO).
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 1 new plan: Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP).
• Gold Kidney Health Plan — 1 new plan: Gold Dialysis Premier (HMO-POS C-SNP).
• Humana — 1 new plan: Humana Value Choice (PPO).
• SCAN Health Plan — 3 new plans: SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP), SCAN Walmart Medicare Advantage (HMO) and SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete (HMO C-SNP).
• UnitedHealthcare — 1 new plan: AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA2 (HMO-POS).

Every one of the 17 includes drug coverage.

Plan types and the Special Needs Plans in this group

Of the 17 new plans, most are HMO-style, with a few PPO and HMO-POS options in the mix. More than half are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which only accept members who meet specific eligibility rules:

• C-SNPs (Chronic Condition SNPs) are built around specific conditions, such as diabetes, heart conditions, or chronic kidney disease and dialysis. The new C-SNPs for 2027 include Aetna Medicare Chronic Care, three Devoted C-SNPs, Gold Dialysis Premier, SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete, and SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete.
• D-SNPs (Dual Eligible SNPs) are for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync is the new D-SNP for 2027 in this group.
• I-SNPs (Institutional SNPs) serve people who live in or need the level of care provided in a nursing facility, or who get similar care at home. Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care is the new I-SNP.

If a Special Needs Plan looks interesting, call the plan or Medicare before you apply to confirm you meet the eligibility rules. SNPs are not for everyone, and signing up for one you do not qualify for creates paperwork headaches you do not need.

What "new" really means — and what it does not

When CMS publishes Star Ratings each fall, it uses prior-year data. A plan that did not exist in 2026 has no 2026 performance to measure, so new plans in Mesa for 2027 will not have a Star Rating next to them on the Medicare Plan Finder. That is simply how the rating system works.

It does not mean the carrier is new. Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Centene, Devoted, Elevance, Gold Kidney and SCAN all offer other plans in Maricopa County already. What is new is the specific plan design — the combination of network, drug list, cost-sharing and extra benefits — and that is what you need to verify before December 7.

Compare that to a renewing plan. If you are already enrolled and your plan is offered again for 2027, you should have received or will soon receive an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). That document spells out exactly what is changing in your plan for January 1, 2027. A renewing plan has history you can look up; a new plan has none, so the Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits and provider and drug directories do more of the work.

How to vet a new plan before December 7

The steps are the same whether you are looking at a brand-new 2027 plan or one that has been around for years. They just matter more when there is no track record to lean on.

1. Make a list. Write down every doctor and facility you want to keep seeing (primary care, specialists, preferred hospital, dialysis center, imaging) and every prescription you take, with dose and quantity. 2. Use the Medicare Plan Finder. At medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code and your drug list. The tool will show which plans cover each drug, at which pharmacies, and will flag plans that use your doctors — when that information is current. 3. Confirm with the plan directly. Networks and drug lists can change. Call the plan's member services number (or ask the plan to send you its provider directory and formulary for 2027) and read back the names of your doctors and the exact drugs on your list. 4. Call your doctor's office. Ask whether they will be contracted with that specific plan — by name — on January 1, 2027. "They take Medicare" is not the same as "they are in that plan's network." 5. Check the pharmacy piece. The same drug can land in different cost tiers at different plans, and preferred pharmacies vary. If you use a specific pharmacy, confirm it is in the plan's preferred network.

For 2027, the Part D maximum deductible is $700 and the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $615 and $2,100 in 2026). Those are program-wide limits set by CMS; what your specific plan charges within them is on the plan's own documents.

If you want to stay put

Nothing happens to anyone who does nothing. If your current Medicare Advantage plan is offered again for 2027, you stay enrolled on January 1 with the changes listed in your ANOC. In Maricopa County, 13 plans are not being offered again for 2027 and 13 are renamed, so it is still worth opening the mail from your carrier even if you plan to keep what you have.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice made in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. There is also a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 – March 31, 2027, during which someone already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch once.