Medicare Advantage

Tucson's 2027 Medicare Advantage roster: 15 carriers, plan types and drug coverage

People in Tucson can choose from 88 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 82 this year. 14 of this year’s plans are gone, 20 are new to Pima County, and 32 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 12 of them under a new name.

Tucson, Ariz. — If you are shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan in Tucson for 2027, you have a lot of options to sort through. Tucson sits in Pima County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 76 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year, offered by 15 different carriers. The table below lists every plan by carrier, along with its plan type and whether it includes prescription drug coverage.

This article walks through what is on that roster, how the plan types differ, and where to go for the details CMS does not let us publish here — things like premiums, copays and provider networks.

What is on the 2027 Tucson roster

The 15 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Pima County for 2027, listed alphabetically, are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 7 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Alignment Health Plan: 5 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs)
• Banner Medicare Advantage: 2 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): 6 plans (HMO, PPO; 1 Special Needs)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona: 1 plan (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): 6 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs)
• Devoted Health: 7 plans (HMO, PPO; 3 Special Needs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): 10 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 7 Special Needs)
• eternalHealth: 4 plans (HMO, HMO-POS)
• Gold Kidney Health Plan: 3 plans (HMO-POS; 3 Special Needs)
• Humana: 12 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Mercy Care Advantage: 2 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• SCAN Health Plan: 6 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 4 Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare: 11 plans (HMO-POS, PPO; 4 Special Needs)

The table below lists every plan by name for each carrier, together with its plan type and drug-coverage status. Every plan on the 2027 Pima County roster includes Part D drug coverage.

The plan types, in plain English

You will see three main plan types on the Tucson list. Knowing the difference matters more than the brand name on the card.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You choose a primary care doctor and generally stay inside the plan's network. Referrals are often required to see specialists.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). An HMO with a limited "point of service" option to see certain providers outside the network, usually at a higher cost. Tucson has 20 HMO-POS plans.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, typically at a higher cost share. Tucson has 20 PPO plans, including a couple of regional PPOs.

Some of these plans are also Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which are limited to people who meet specific eligibility rules:

• D-SNPs are for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNPs are for people living with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure, kidney disease or lung disorders.
• I-SNPs are for people who live in an institutional setting, such as a nursing home, or need that level of care at home.

Of the 82 plans in Pima County, 32 are SNPs. You will notice several carriers — Alignment, Banner, WellCare, Devoted, Elevance (Wellpoint), Gold Kidney, Mercy Care, SCAN and UnitedHealthcare — have SNPs on the list. If you are not sure whether you qualify for a SNP, your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor can help you check.

Drug coverage: everything on the 2027 roster includes it

For 2027, all 76 Pima County Medicare Advantage plans on the CMS Landscape file include Part D prescription drug coverage. That means if you enroll in one of these plans, your drug coverage comes bundled with your medical coverage. You generally would not — and in most cases could not — add a stand-alone Part D plan on top.

A few program-level Part D facts worth knowing for 2027:

• The out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible any plan can charge is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage and catastrophic.
• Anyone with Part D can opt into the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads your drug costs into level monthly payments through the year at no added cost.
• IRMAA (income-related premium surcharges) begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Formularies (the list of covered drugs), pharmacy networks and tier copays vary a lot from plan to plan. Those details are on each plan's own Summary of Benefits and on the Medicare Plan Finder.

Star Ratings and what to make of them

CMS gives each Medicare Advantage contract a Star Rating from 1 to 5 stars. Ratings look at things like customer service, member complaints, preventive care and drug safety. Star Ratings are updated by CMS, and they measure the contract, not always the exact plan you would enroll in.

Star Ratings are a piece of the picture, not the whole picture. A plan's network, drug list and out-of-pocket costs may matter more to you than a half-star difference. Look at ratings on medicare.gov alongside the other details.

Key dates for 2027 coverage

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). This is when most people join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).
• Special Enrollment Periods can also apply if you move, lose other coverage, qualify for Extra Help, or your plan is leaving the area.

How to compare plans without guessing

Because we cannot publish plan-by-plan costs, benefits or networks here, use these official tools:

1. Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov — enter your ZIP code and, if you want, your prescriptions and pharmacies to see personalized cost estimates. 2. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7 — a live representative can walk you through options. 3. Arizona SHIP — Arizona's State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling. In Pima County, contact Pima Council on Aging. 4. The plan's own documents — the Summary of Benefits, Evidence of Coverage, formulary and provider directory tell you exactly what a plan covers.

If you use specific doctors at Banner, Tucson Medical Center, Northwest, El Rio, Carondelet or another local system, always check the plan's provider directory or call the plan to confirm the network before you enroll.