Medicare Advantage

Anaheim Medicare Advantage for 2027: how HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans compare before you choose

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. — As the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage opens Oct. 15, 2026, Orange County shoppers will see a Medicare Advantage lineup that leans heavily toward HMO-style plans, with a smaller slice of PPOs. Anaheim is in Orange County, where CMS lists 111 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027. By plan type, that works out to 84 HMOs, 23 HMO-POS plans and 4 PPOs. No PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans are on the county's 2027 landscape.

The split matters because plan "type" is really a shorthand for how the plan handles doctors, referrals and care you get outside the network — three things that shape your experience far more than the brand on the card.

What the plan "type" actually means

Every Medicare Advantage plan is built on a provider network, but the rules around that network differ by type.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor, and that doctor typically coordinates your care, including referrals to specialists. Non-emergency care outside the network is usually not covered.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). An HMO with a limited "point-of-service" option that lets you get certain services out of network, usually at a higher cost. The details vary a lot from plan to plan.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to treat you, in or out of network. Out-of-network care is covered but costs more, and referrals usually aren't required.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). A different model in which the plan sets the payment terms and any willing Medicare provider can accept it visit by visit. No PFFS plans are offered in Orange County for 2027.

Emergency and urgent care are covered under all these plan types, regardless of network.

How Orange County's 2027 plans split

Of the 111 Medicare Advantage plans available in the county for 2027, more than three-quarters are HMOs. Add in HMO-POS plans and the HMO family makes up 107 of the 111 plans. Just 4 are PPOs. The table below lists every plan.

Year over year, there is also plan turnover: CMS data for 2027 shows 21 plans not returning, 28 new plans and 19 renamed plans in the county. If your plan is one of them, your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) spells out the specifics.

Which carriers offer which type

For 2027 in Orange County:

• HMO plans are offered by Aetna (CVS Health), Align Senior Care, Alignment Health Plan, Astiva Health, Blue Shield of California, CalOptima Health OneCare, Centene (WellCare), Champion Heath Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, SCAN Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare.
• HMO-POS plans are offered by Aetna (CVS Health), Champion Heath Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), UnitedHealthcare and VillageHealth.
• PPO plans are offered by Humana.

That carrier list is simply who files which plan type with CMS — it isn't a ranking, and the plan that fits you depends on your doctors, your prescriptions and how you use care.

How to think about HMO vs. PPO for your situation

A few practical questions tend to settle the HMO-vs-PPO choice faster than any brochure can:

• Who are your doctors, and are they in the plan's network? For an HMO or HMO-POS, that's close to the whole ballgame. Confirm directly with the plan and the provider's office.
• Do you travel or split time between states? A PPO's out-of-network coverage can matter if you spend weeks away from Anaheim. An HMO generally won't cover routine care outside its service area.
• Are you comfortable going through a primary care doctor for referrals? HMOs usually require that; most PPOs don't.
• Do you have specialists you want direct access to? Check each plan's rules — some HMO-POS plans allow limited self-referral.

Cost — the premium, deductibles, copays and drug tier structure — varies plan by plan and is not something to generalize by type. The place to compare those numbers is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or the plan's own Evidence of Coverage.

What's new at the program level for 2027

Two Part D numbers are already set for 2027 and apply across plans with drug coverage:

• The Part D annual 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 publishes the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, along with the IRMAA income brackets and surcharges, later in the fall — typically in November. Those figures aren't out yet, so treat any specific 2027 number you see elsewhere as a projection, not a decision point.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025; Part D now has three phases. And if monthly drug costs are a strain, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your Part D out-of-pocket costs across the plan year at no extra charge.

Your 2027 enrollment window

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan renews — assuming it's offered next year — with whatever adjustments appear in its ANOC, which plans mail in September.

If you end up in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1 and decide it isn't right, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027 gives you one chance to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.