Medicare Advantage

Anaheim's 28 new Medicare Advantage plans for 2027: how to vet a plan with no history

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. — Fall 2026. When the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup opens for enrollment on October 15, Orange County shoppers will see 28 plans that were not sold here a year ago. New plans are worth a careful look, but they come with a wrinkle: because they did not exist in 2026, they do not yet have a Star Rating or a local track record. That makes a side-by-side check against your own doctors and prescriptions the single most useful thing you can do before the December 7 deadline.

Anaheim is in Orange County, where Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. The 28 new plans listed below are available to Orange County residents for 2027. The full roster of every 2027 plan — new, renaming or returning — appears in the table below.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Anaheim for 2027?

In Orange County, 28 of the 111 Medicare Advantage plans offered for 2027 are new — meaning they were not sold here in 2026. Every one of the 28 includes drug coverage. The new plans come from 11 carriers, listed here in alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 2 new plans: Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan — 6 new plans: Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 044 (HMO C-SNP); Alignment Health Honor Plus 060 (HMO); Alignment Health Platinum Preferred 004 (HMO); Alignment Health Platinum Preferred+ 005 (HMO); Central Health Harmony 001 (HMO); Central Health Harmony Plus 002 (HMO C-SNP)
• Astiva Health — 2 new plans: Astiva Health C-SNP Bloom (HMO C-SNP); Astiva Health C-SNP Fountain (HMO C-SNP)
• Blue Shield of California — 1 new plan: Blue Shield Advantage (HMO)
• Champion Heath Plan — 4 new plans: Champion Anwell (HMO); Champion Compass (HMO C-SNP); Champion Home (HMO C-SNP); Champion Secure (HMO C-SNP)
• Clever Care Health Plan — 2 new plans: Clever Care Breathe Select+ (HMO C-SNP); Clever Care Total Choice+ (HMO C-SNP)
• Humana — 1 new plan: Humana Gold Plus H3767-002 (HMO)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. — 1 new plan: Imperial Flex (HMO C-SNP)
• SCAN Health Plan — 6 new plans: CareMore Health Plan by SCAN (HMO); SCAN Ansim Care (HMO C-SNP); SCAN Baekse (HMO); SCAN Costco Medicare Advantage (HMO); SCAN Inclusive (HMO); SCAN Select (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare — 1 new plan: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-46 (HMO-POS)
• VillageHealth — 2 new plans: SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care (HMO-POS C-SNP); SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP)

What plan types and Special Needs Plans are among the new ones?

Of the 28 new 2027 plans in Orange County, most are HMOs, with a few HMO-POS plans and no new PPOs. More than half are Special Needs Plans — all of the Chronic Condition SNP variety (C-SNP) in this group — which are limited to people who meet specific eligibility rules.

C-SNPs are designed for people living with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disorders or end-stage renal disease. If you do not have a qualifying condition, you are not eligible to enroll in a C-SNP, even if it appears on your Plan Finder results. Every new plan on the list above includes Part D drug coverage.

How is a brand-new plan different from one that is renewing?

A new plan is one CMS has approved for 2027 that was not sold in Orange County in 2026. It will not have a Medicare Star Rating assigned yet, because Star Ratings are built from past performance data — claims, appeals, member surveys and quality measures — that a brand-new plan has not yet generated. CMS treats this as a neutral fact, and so should you: a missing rating is not a warning sign, and it is not a selling point.

A renewing plan, by contrast, carries its history forward. It has a Star Rating, a known provider directory, a known formulary and a track record you can read about. If you are already enrolled in a plan that is returning for 2027, your carrier is required to send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) by late September describing what is different next year — premium, copays, drug tier placement, the provider network and extra benefits.

Beyond the 28 new plans, Orange County's 2027 lineup also includes 21 plans that are not returning and 19 that have been renamed. If your plan is in one of those groups, the ANOC or a non-renewal notice will say so.

How do I check a new plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the fastest way, and it works for brand-new plans the same way it works for returning ones. Enter your ZIP code, add every prescription you take (with the exact dose and how often you fill it), and add your preferred pharmacy. The tool will show plans available in Orange County along with each plan's estimated yearly drug cost based on your list.

For doctors and hospitals, do not rely on the Plan Finder's provider search alone — call the plan directly, or check the plan's online provider directory, and confirm that your primary care doctor, specialists and preferred hospital are in-network for the specific plan name and plan ID you are considering. Carriers often sell several plans with similar names but different networks.

A short checklist for any new plan:

• Are all of my prescriptions on the plan's 2027 formulary, and on what tier?
• Is my pharmacy a preferred pharmacy for this plan?
• Are my doctors and hospital in-network for this exact plan (not just this carrier)?
• If it is a Special Needs Plan, do I meet the eligibility rules?
• What is the plan's maximum out-of-pocket limit for in-network care in 2027?

If you prefer to talk to someone, 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24/7 and can walk you through a comparison.

What are the key dates and figures for 2027?

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. A change you make in that window takes effect January 1, 2027. If you do nothing and your current plan is offered again next year, you stay in it — with whatever 2027 changes the ANOC describes.

Confirmed 2027 figures from CMS: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not yet been published; CMS typically releases them in the fall, usually in November.

If you miss December 7, there is still the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31, 2027, which lets someone already in a Medicare Advantage plan switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare one time.