Medicare Advantage

Before You Renew: Read the ANOC Letter From Your Insurer

For 2027, Anaheim is looking at 92 Medicare Advantage plans: 28 new, 21 gone since 2026, and 32 continuing plans that changed something in their terms, with 19 plans carrying a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Orange County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ANAHEIM — The 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup for Orange County looks different from the one members signed up for this year. According to CMS's just-released Landscape files, 21 plans in the county will not return after 2026, 28 are new for 2027, and 19 are being renamed. Two carriers — Central Health Medicare Plan and Providence Medicare Advantage Plans — are exiting the county, and one carrier, VillageHealth, is coming in.

If you live in Anaheim and get your Medicare through an Advantage plan, this is the year to read your mail carefully. Insurers are sending Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letters now, and the Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.

What's happening in Orange County for 2027

Anaheim is in Orange County, where Medicare plan availability is set. CMS compares the 2026 and 2027 Landscape files each fall, and the year-over-year changes in this county are notable:

• Leaving after 2026: 21 plans
• New for 2027: 28 plans
• Renamed: 19 plans (same plan, new label on your card and paperwork)
• Changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name: 32 plans (your ANOC has the details)
• Continuing as-is: 64 plans

The table below lists every plan available in the county. If you want to see whether your plan is on it — and how it's labeled for next year — that's the place to check.

Plans that will not return after 2026

If you're enrolled in one of the plans below, you will need to make a choice before coverage ends. These are the plans CMS lists as not being offered in Orange County in 2027:

• Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO), Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO), Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• Alignment Health Advantage PPO, Alignment Health Honor+ Plan, Alignment Health My Choice Select, Alignment Health the ONE
• Astiva Health Premier Plan
• Wellcare Giveback
• All Central Health Medicare Plan offerings: Classic Care Plan I, Dual Access Plan, Embrace Care Plan, Embrace Choice Plan, Central Health Medicare Plan, Part B Savings Plan, Valor Care Plan
• Champion Select
• Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete South P1
• Providence Medicare Sycamore + Rx
• SCAN Affirm partnered with Included LGBTQ+ Health, SCAN MyChoice

Because Central Health Medicare Plan and Providence Medicare Advantage Plans are leaving the county altogether, members of those plans will need to enroll with a different carrier — or return to Original Medicare — if they want continuous coverage.

What to do if your plan is leaving

If your plan is not being renewed for 2027, Medicare gives you a Special Enrollment Period that runs through the end of February. You can use it to:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D drug plan, and possibly a Medigap policy (though Medigap medical underwriting rules in California are worth checking with SHIP first).

You do not have to wait for the SEP — you can also switch during the Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, and coverage will start Jan. 1.

New plans and a new carrier for 2027

CMS lists 28 new Medicare Advantage plans in the county for next year. They come from carriers already here — including Aetna, Alignment Health Plan, Astiva Health, Blue Shield of California, Champion Health Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare — plus one new entrant, VillageHealth, which is bringing two dialysis-focused Special Needs Plans to the market.

You'll see new names such as Aetna Medicare Chronic Care, Blue Shield Advantage, Champion Anwell, Humana Gold Plus H3767-002, Imperial Flex, SCAN Costco Medicare Advantage, and the AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-46 plan. The full list is in the table below.

Renamed plans: same plan, new label

Nineteen plans are being renamed for 2027. If you get a card or letter with a slightly different plan name, that alone doesn't mean your coverage changed — but you should still read the ANOC to see whether anything else did. Renamed plans include several Alignment Health plans (My Choice, Heart & Diabetes, BreathEasy, Clarity, ValorCare, Platinum + Instacart, and smartHMO/smartSavings, all now carrying numeric identifiers), Aetna Medicare Prime (which is also switching from HMO-POS to HMO), Aetna Medicare Signature Legacy, Wellcare Health Net Dual Liberty, and three AARP Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare.

Plans that are "changing" — what that means

CMS flags 32 continuing plans in the county as changing on premium, deductible, plan type or name. We can't tell you here what specifically changed on any one plan — that's what the ANOC your insurer mailed in late September is for. Read it. If your doctor network, drug list (formulary), or copays matter to you, those are the details that decide whether to stay or shop.

Program figures to keep in mind

A few Medicare-wide rules apply no matter which plan you choose:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100 for 2026.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615.
• Coverage gap ("donut hole"): eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: an optional program to spread your drug costs across the year in monthly payments.
• IRMAA: higher Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.