Medicare Advantage

Tucson's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: 20 new plans, 14 not returning, 1 new carrier

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. — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, the Medicare Advantage menu in Pima County is shifting again. A new carrier is entering the market for 2027, 20 plans are debuting, and 14 plans offered in 2026 will not be sold next year. For Tucson residents sorting through their Annual Notice of Change letters this fall, the first question is simple: is your plan still here on Jan. 1, 2027?

What Tucson's 2026 lineup looks like today

Tucson sits in Pima County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For plan year 2026, Pima County has 82 Medicare Advantage plans from 14 carriers — 42 HMOs, 20 HMO-POS plans and 20 PPOs. Thirty-two are Special Needs Plans (for people with certain chronic conditions, who also have Medicaid, or who live in an institutional setting), and all 82 include Part D drug coverage.

The 14 carriers offering plans in the county this year 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, SCAN Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What's new for 2027

CMS's 2027 Landscape file shows 20 plans debuting in Pima County. The biggest headline is a brand-new carrier: Verda Health Plan of Arizona enters the market with Verda Noble Care (HMO) and Verda Noble Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP).

Several existing carriers are also expanding. Aetna is adding Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) and Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO). Alignment Health Plan is adding Alignment Health ONE 008 (HMO). Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is adding Blue Best Life Select (HMO). Centene is adding Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP). Devoted Health has the biggest expansion, with seven new plans: DEVOTED C-SNP ENHANCED 096 AZ, DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 102 AZ, DEVOTED C-SNP PLUS 097 AZ, DEVOTED CORE 021 AZ, DEVOTED CORE 094 AZ, DEVOTED GIVEBACK 095 AZ and DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 107 AZ. Humana is adding Humana Value Choice (PPO). SCAN Health Plan is adding SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP), SCAN Walmart Medicare Advantage (HMO) and SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete (HMO C-SNP). UnitedHealthcare is adding AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA3 (HMO-POS).

Being new does not mean being better or worse — only that these are additional options to compare in the Medicare Plan Finder.

What is not returning

Fourteen plans sold in Pima County in 2026 will not be offered in 2027. From Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO), Aetna Medicare Signature Advantage (HMO) and Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO). From Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC): HealthSpring Preferred (HMO). From Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Arizona Complete Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Dual Liberty Sync (HMO D-SNP), Wellcare Giveback (HMO) and Wellcare Simple Value (HMO). From Devoted Health: DEVOTED C-SNP PREMIUM 024 AZ (HMO C-SNP) and DEVOTED CORE 016 AZ (HMO). From eternalHealth: eternalHealth + Fry's Medicare Advantage (HMO) and eternalHealth Grand Give Back (HMO). From SCAN Health Plan: SCAN Strive (HMO C-SNP). From UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC AZ-17 (HMO-POS).

If you are in one of these plans, your insurer is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will not lose Medicare — but you will need to pick another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare (with or without a stand-alone Part D plan) before coverage changes on Jan. 1.

Renamed plans — same plan, new label

Twelve plans are keeping the same contract but changing the name on their paperwork. Examples: Alignment Health's "the ONE + Walgreens" is now Alignment Health ONE + Walgreens 002 (HMO); Alignment Health smartHMO is now Alignment Health Smart 005 (HMO); HealthSpring Alliance is now HealthSpring Preferred (HMO); Humana Gold Plus H4461-059 is now Humana Total Complete (HMO); and UHC Dual Complete AZ-Y001 is now UHC Dual Complete AZ-YL. If a plan name on your mail looks unfamiliar this fall, check the renaming list before assuming it was dropped.

Beyond renames, 20 continuing plans have at least one change to premium, deductible, type or name for 2027 — details that live in each plan's Annual Notice of Change.

If your plan is leaving: your Special Enrollment Period

When a Medicare Advantage plan is not renewed in your county, Medicare grants a Special Enrollment Period that runs from Dec. 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. During that window you can:

• Enroll in another Medicare Advantage plan available in Pima County, or
• Return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan.

Switching back to Original Medicare also opens a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap policies — meaning insurers cannot turn you down or charge more because of health history, within the rules of that right. If this applies to you, read your non-renewal letter carefully; it lists your options and dates.

How to decide, step by step

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change. It arrived (or will arrive) by late September 2026 and spells out what is changing in your current plan for 2027. 2. Confirm your plan is being offered next year. Check it against the "leaving after 2026" list above. 3. List what matters to you: your doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, and whether you travel. Networks and drug formularies change every year. 4. Compare on medicare.gov. The Plan Finder shows every 2027 plan available at your ZIP code, with the plan's own premium, deductible, drug costs and star rating. 5. Note the dates. Changes made Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026 take effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you stay in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you also have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027) to make one more switch.

2027 program figures worth knowing

A few program-wide numbers CMS has already confirmed for next year:

• 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).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 — a formula input, not what any one plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet; CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.