Medicare Advantage

Anaheim ANOC check before Dec. 7: a 2027 Medicare review you can do at the kitchen table

For 2027, Anaheim is looking at 111 Medicare Advantage plans: 28 new, 21 gone since 2026, and 51 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 19 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Orange County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The envelope from your Medicare plan showed up in September, and if you set it aside, now is the time to find it. That packet — the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC — spells out exactly how your 2026 plan will look different in 2027. The Annual Enrollment Period is open from October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews for next year with the changes described in that ANOC. That is a perfectly fine choice — as long as you have read it.

What is the ANOC and why does it matter for 2027 coverage?

The Annual Notice of Change is the document your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is required to send you each fall. It lists, side by side, what your plan looks like in 2026 and what it will look like in 2027: the premium, the deductible, the primary-care and specialist copays, the drug tiers, the maximum out-of-pocket, and any changes to extras like dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter benefits or the Part B giveback.

It also flags network changes — hospitals or medical groups joining or leaving — and formulary changes, meaning which prescriptions are covered and on which tier. If you skim one document this fall, make it this one.

What should an Anaheim reader actually check line by line?

Start with the four things that touch your wallet or your care every month:

1. Your doctors. Open the 2027 provider directory on the plan's website (or call Member Services) and search each physician by name. In Orange County, large medical groups shift affiliations more often than individual doctors do, so confirm the group too, not just the person. 2. Your hospitals. If you have a preferred hospital — AHMC Anaheim Regional, Kaiser Anaheim, Providence St. Joseph in nearby Orange, UCI Health, or any other — verify it is in-network for 2027. 3. Your prescriptions. Pull your pill bottles and check each drug against the 2027 formulary. Look at the tier, any prior authorization or step therapy, and whether your pharmacy is a preferred pharmacy next year. 4. Your total costs. Compare the 2026 and 2027 columns for premium, deductible, primary care, specialist, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum. A small premium change can be offset by a bigger copay change, or vice versa.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are available in Anaheim for 2027?

Anaheim is in Orange County, where the CMS Landscape file shows 17 carriers offering 104 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2026 plan year — 75 HMOs, 21 HMO-POS and 8 PPOs, with 98 of them including Part D drug coverage and 40 designed as Special Needs Plans for people with specific conditions, dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility or who live in an institution. The 2027 lineup publishes to Medicare's Plan Finder in early October; the table below lists every plan in the county so you can see the carriers side by side.

The familiar names here include Aetna, Alignment Health Plan, Anthem (Elevance), Blue Shield of California, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, SCAN Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare and Wellcare (Centene), alongside regional carriers such as Astiva Health, CalOptima Health OneCare, Central Health, Champion, Clever Care, Imperial, Providence and Align Senior Care.

What is changing in Part D for 2027?

Two Part D figures are already confirmed for 2027. The annual out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge rises to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. The national base beneficiary premium — a formula input, not what any specific plan charges — is $41.33 for 2027.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") remains eliminated; Part D has three phases now. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in level monthly bills, is still available if you want to opt in for 2027.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets that add a surcharge for higher-income beneficiaries, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes those figures in November.

What is the December 7 deadline, and what if I miss it?

December 7, 2026 is the last day of the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage. During this window you can switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, switch from Advantage back to Original Medicare, change from one Advantage plan to another, join or drop a Part D drug plan, or switch Part D plans.

If December 7 passes and you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you still have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027 — but that window only lets you make one change to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan. People qualifying for a Special Enrollment Period (a move, loss of other coverage, a plan termination, Extra Help, dual eligibility) have their own timelines.

Where should I go for personalized answers?

Use Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov to run your own drug list and preferred pharmacy against every plan available in your ZIP code — it is the only tool that compares all of them at once. For questions about your specific situation, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Call your current plan's Member Services number — it is on your member ID card — if the ANOC leaves you with questions about a specific drug, doctor or benefit next year.