Medicare Advantage

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Mesa, plan by plan

MESA, Ariz. — As the fall 2026 Annual Enrollment Period gets underway, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is going into 2027 with four Medicare Advantage plans available to people on Medicare in Maricopa County, which includes Mesa. One of those plans is new for next year, and the carrier is not pulling any of its current plans off the shelf. If you already have a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona plan, your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) explains what is different for January 1, 2027.

This article is a plan-by-plan look at that one carrier's 2027 lineup in the Mesa area. MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site and is not Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; 15 other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County, for 92 plans in total.

The 2027 lineup at a glance

In Maricopa County, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is offering four Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year. All four are HMOs, all four include prescription drug coverage (sometimes called MA-PD), and one is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.

The table below lists every plan. Spelled as CMS lists them, the four plans are:

• Blue Best Life Classic (HMO) — HMO with drug coverage
• Blue Best Life Plus (HMO) — HMO with drug coverage
• Blue Best Life Select (HMO) — HMO with drug coverage, new for 2027
• Health Choice Pathway (HMO D-SNP) — HMO D-SNP with drug coverage

We are not listing premiums, copays, networks or star ratings here. Those details are plan-specific and change year to year, so the right place to read them is the plan's own documents or medicare.gov.

What's new, and what's not returning

For the 2027 plan year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is adding one Medicare Advantage plan in Maricopa County — Blue Best Life Select (HMO) — and is not discontinuing any of its current plans. No plans were renamed.

If you are already in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona plan, that plan is renewing. But "renewing" does not mean "identical." Costs, drug lists (formularies), provider networks and extra benefits can shift from one year to the next. The ANOC the plan mailed (or posted online) in late September spells out what is changing on January 1, 2027.

HMO, D-SNP, and what the labels mean

All four plans in this carrier's lineup are HMOs. In a typical Medicare Advantage HMO, you pick a primary care doctor, use the plan's network, and usually need a referral to see a specialist. Rules vary plan to plan, so always check the Evidence of Coverage.

One of the four, Health Choice Pathway (HMO D-SNP), is a Special Needs Plan. D-SNPs are only for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. If you are not dually eligible, you cannot enroll in a D-SNP.

Every plan in the lineup includes Part D prescription drug coverage. That matters because in 2027, Part D protections continue to improve: the out-of-pocket cap for covered drugs rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available to spread drug costs across the year.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before December 7, this is the five-minute test worth running on any plan you are considering:

1. Go to medicare.gov and open Plan Finder. 2. Enter your Mesa ZIP code and, when prompted, add the prescription drugs you take (name, dose, how often). 3. Add your preferred pharmacy — costs can change depending on whether a pharmacy is "preferred" in the plan's network. 4. Open the plan's details and check its provider directory for the doctors, specialists and hospitals you actually use. 5. If anything is unclear, call 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7) or call the plan directly using the number on its page.

Doing this for each plan on your short list — not just one — is the only way to compare apples to apples.

Dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Any choice you make takes effect January 1, 2027.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or go back to Original Medicare.
• Later this fall: CMS announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. We do not have those figures yet and will not estimate them.

If you do nothing during AEP, your current plan simply renews with the changes described in your ANOC. Nobody loses coverage by sitting still — but sitting still is still a decision.