Medicare Advantage

What changed for Scottsdale Medicare Advantage in 2027?

For 2027, Scottsdale 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.

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Fall 2026 is the one stretch of the year when nearly every Medicare Advantage member can swap plans for the coming year, and the window closes Dec. 7, 2026. For 2027, Scottsdale residents will choose from a slightly larger lineup than in 2026, with some plans leaving, some new names arriving, and a handful renamed. Here is a calm, step-by-step way to compare what is on offer before the deadline.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Scottsdale for 2027?

Scottsdale is in Maricopa County, where 92 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers are offered for 2027, according to the CMS Landscape Source File. That is up from 88 plans and 16 carriers available in Maricopa County for 2026.

By plan type for 2027, the county has 56 HMOs, 19 HMO-POS plans and 17 PPOs. Eighty-five of the 92 plans include Part D prescription drug coverage. Compared with 2026, 17 plans are new, 13 are not returning, and others have been renamed — a change the plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) will spell out.

The table below lists every 2027 plan by carrier. The 16 carriers serving Maricopa County next year are, in alphabetical order: 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, and Verda Health Plan of Arizona.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Maricopa County for 2027?

Maricopa County has 40 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) across the three categories for 2027: 10 Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, 25 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with qualifying conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions or kidney disease, and 5 Institutional SNPs (I-SNPs) for people living in nursing facilities or needing that level of care at home.

SNPs are only open to people who meet their eligibility rules. If you think you may qualify — for example, you have Medicaid, or you have a chronic condition the plan targets — the Medicare Plan Finder will show which SNPs you are eligible for when you enter your situation.

What is new for Scottsdale Medicare Advantage in 2027?

For 2027, Maricopa County has 17 new Medicare Advantage plans, 13 that are not returning, and others that have been renamed. The total plan count rises from 88 in 2026 to 92 in 2027, and the carrier count stays at 16.

Two program-level changes also apply nationally in 2027 and will show up on every Part D and Medicare Advantage drug plan's paperwork:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those are typically published later in the fall.

How do I compare Medicare Advantage plans in Scottsdale step by step?

Start with your own life, not the brochures. The question is not which plan is "best" in general — it is which plan fits your doctors, your prescriptions and your budget. Work through the following five checks in order.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). If you already have a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, your insurer mailed (or emailed) an ANOC in late September. It lists every change to your plan for 2027: premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placement, network, extra benefits. If nothing in it bothers you, you may not need to change anything.

2. Check your doctors and hospitals. For each plan you are considering, look up its 2027 provider directory on the carrier's website, or call the plan. Confirm your primary care doctor, specialists and preferred hospital are in-network for next year — networks change on Jan. 1.

3. Check your prescriptions and pharmacy. On medicare.gov's Plan Finder, enter every drug you take, the dose, and your preferred pharmacy. The tool will show each plan's estimated yearly drug cost based on its 2027 formulary and pharmacy pricing, including whether your pharmacy is "preferred" or "standard" for that plan.

4. Compare total expected cost, not just premium. A low-premium plan can cost more over the year once copays, coinsurance and drug costs are added. Plan Finder's annual cost estimate includes those.

5. Confirm plan type and rules. HMOs generally require you to use in-network providers and get referrals; HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network care; PPOs give more out-of-network flexibility, usually at a higher cost. Maricopa County's 2027 lineup includes all three.

Where can I compare 2027 plans officially?

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the official tool and the one place that pulls every plan in your ZIP code together with your drugs and pharmacy. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for help comparing plans or confirming what you are enrolled in.

For plan-specific details — exact copays, provider networks, drug tiers, prior authorization rules — the authoritative document is the plan's Evidence of Coverage (EOC), available from the carrier.

What happens on Dec. 7, 2026, if I do nothing?

If your current Medicare Advantage plan is offered in Maricopa County for 2027, it renews automatically on Jan. 1, 2027, with the changes described in its ANOC. You do not need to re-enroll.

If your plan is one of the 13 not returning for 2027, your carrier will send a non-renewal notice, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan. Current Medicare Advantage members also get a second chance between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2027 (the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period) to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare — but that window is more limited than the fall one.