Medicare Advantage

Phoenix Medicare Advantage for 2027: 17 plans arrive, 13 won't be back

For 2027, Phoenix 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.

PHOENIX — Fall 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in the Phoenix area, this is the season to open the Annual Notice of Change your plan mailed you and compare it to what's being offered for 2027. In Maricopa County — the county Phoenix sits in — CMS data shows 17 Medicare Advantage plans that are new for 2027, 13 that are leaving after 2026, and 62 that are continuing. A handful of others have been renamed or have changes to premium, deductible, type or name.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews next year — as long as it's still being offered.

What the 2027 Phoenix lineup looks like

Medicare Advantage availability is set by CMS at the county level, and Phoenix is in Maricopa County. For plan year 2026, Maricopa County has 88 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers — 55 HMO plans, 16 HMO-POS plans and 17 PPOs, with 36 Special Needs Plans in the mix. Every plan includes prescription drug coverage.

The carriers offering plans in the county are Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Banner Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), eternalHealth, Gold Kidney Health Plan, 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.

The 17 plans new for 2027

CMS Landscape files show these plans are entering Maricopa County for the 2027 plan year:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona: Blue Best Life Select (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP)
• Devoted Health: 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); DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 105 AZ (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP)
• Gold Kidney Health Plan: Gold Dialysis Premier (HMO-POS C-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Value Choice (PPO)
• SCAN Health Plan: SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP); SCAN Walmart Medicare Advantage (HMO); SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete (HMO C-SNP)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA2 (HMO-POS)

A plan being "new" doesn't tell you anything about whether it fits you — that depends on your doctors, your medications and your budget. It just means it's an option this year that wasn't last year.

The 13 plans not returning after 2026

These plans will not be offered in Maricopa County for 2027:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 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)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP); Wellcare Giveback (HMO); Wellcare Simple Value (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Wellpoint I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP)
• eternalHealth: eternalHealth Grand Give Back (HMO)
• SCAN Health Plan: SCAN Strive (HMO C-SNP)

If you're in one of these plans, your insurer is required to send a non-renewal notice. That notice triggers a Special Enrollment Period that lets you choose another Medicare Advantage plan, enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan, or return to Original Medicare — generally running from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. You don't have to wait for that window, though. You can also make the change during the regular Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 – Dec. 7.

Renames and other changes to watch

Thirteen plans in the county are being renamed for 2027, and about 20 more have a change to premium, deductible, type or name. A rename can be confusing because the plan may look brand-new on paper even though it's the same contract. For example, HealthSpring Alliance (HMO) is now listed as HealthSpring Preferred (HMO), and Humana Gold Plus H4461-056 (HMO) is now Humana Total Complete (HMO). Several Alignment Health and Devoted Health plans have also been renamed.

The practical move: open your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) — it arrives by late September — and compare it side-by-side with the 2027 Summary of Benefits.

How to compare plans before Dec. 7

A few steps that work for almost everyone:

1. Check your drugs. Run your current prescription list through the plan finder at medicare.gov to see how each plan would cover them in 2027. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Networks change year to year, even if the plan name doesn't. 3. Watch the Part D numbers. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that's a formula input CMS uses, not what any single plan charges. 4. Know what hasn't been published yet. CMS announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, later in the fall — usually in November. Don't rely on projections.