Medicare Advantage

Mesa Medicare Advantage for 2027: a side-by-side checklist before Dec. 7

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. — Fall 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in Mesa, your mail pile has probably grown. Carriers are sending out their 2027 Annual Notice of Change letters, Medicare's Plan Finder is loaded with next year's options, and the Annual Enrollment Period is open now through December 7, 2026. Any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027. Do nothing, and your current plan simply renews — with whatever its ANOC says is changing.

Here is a plain, step-by-step way to compare 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Mesa before the deadline, using what Maricopa County actually offers next year.

What's on the shelf in Maricopa County for 2027

Plan availability is set at the county level, so Mesa shoppers see the Maricopa County lineup. For 2027, that lineup includes 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers, every one of them with prescription drug coverage. By type, there are 56 HMOs, 19 HMO-POS plans and 17 PPOs. There are also 25 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs), 10 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) and 5 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people who meet the eligibility rules.

Compared with 2026, 17 plans are new, 13 are not returning, and some have been renamed. The table below lists every plan available in Maricopa County for 2027; the carriers offering plans next year 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
• Verda Health Plan of Arizona

Start with the one letter most people throw away

Your current carrier mailed you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in September. It is the single most important document in your pile, because it compares your 2026 plan to the 2027 version of that same plan — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, extra benefits, and the provider and pharmacy networks.

If your plan is one of the 13 not returning in Maricopa County next year, your ANOC will say so, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan. If your plan is renewing, read what is changing before you decide whether to stay or shop.

A step-by-step way to compare plans

Work through these six checks in order. They are the same checks a good broker would make, and they keep you focused on what actually affects you.

1. List your doctors and hospitals. Write down every provider you want to keep — primary care, specialists, Banner Health or HonorHealth facilities, your preferred hospital. Networks change every year.

2. List your prescriptions. Include the exact drug name, dose and how often you take it. Drug formularies and tiers change every year too.

3. Pick your pharmacy. Many plans have "preferred" pharmacies where your copays are lower. If you fill at a specific CVS, Walgreens, Fry's or Walmart in Mesa, note it.

4. Open the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. Enter your ZIP code, add your drugs and your pharmacy, and the tool will show total estimated yearly cost for each plan — premium plus drug costs plus a cost-sharing estimate. You can compare up to three plans side by side.

5. Check the network before you enroll. Plan Finder shows a provider lookup, but confirm on the plan's own website or by calling the plan. Ask specifically about every doctor and facility on your list.

6. Think about plan type. HMOs usually require you to stay in network and get referrals. HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network care. PPOs give the most flexibility but often cost more. Special Needs Plans are only for people who qualify (a chronic condition, Medicaid eligibility, or living in a nursing facility).

What's new at the program level for 2027

Two Part D numbers are confirmed by CMS for 2027 and are worth knowing as you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026). Once your out-of-pocket drug spending hits that cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 ($615 in 2026). Plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — the option to spread your drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter — continues in 2027. Any plan with Part D must offer it if you opt in.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets that affect higher-income enrollees, have not yet been announced. CMS typically publishes them in November. Watch medicare.gov for the update.

Dates to keep on the fridge

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Switch, drop or join a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• January 1, 2027: New coverage begins.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another MA plan or go back to Original Medicare.

If you do nothing by December 7, your current plan renews as described in its ANOC. Doing nothing is a choice — just make sure it is an informed one.