Medicare Advantage

Anthem Medicare Advantage in California for 2027: 38 Plans, County by County

SACRAMENTO — For the 2027 plan year, Anthem — which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services groups under Elevance Health (Anthem) — is offering 38 Medicare Advantage plans across California, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files. Because each plan is sold county by county, a plan on the statewide list may or may not be available where you live. This article is published by an independent Medicare education site; it is not the government, not affiliated with CMS, and not affiliated with Anthem or any other carrier.

2027 plan lineupCalifornia

What Anthem offers in California for 2027

Statewide, Anthem's 38 Medicare Advantage plans break down into 5 HMO plans, 31 HMO-POS plans, and 2 PPO plans. All 38 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

Seventeen of those plans are Special Needs Plans, designed for people who meet specific eligibility rules:

• 4 Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) for people with both Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California).
• 12 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs) for people with qualifying chronic conditions.
• 1 Institutional Special Needs Plan (I-SNP) for people who meet an institutional level-of-care requirement.

For context, CMS lists 394 Medicare Advantage plans total in California for 2027 across 36 carriers, so Anthem is one of many options Californians can compare on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Anthem plans with the widest county reach

Plan availability varies widely across California's 58 counties. Based on CMS's 2027 landscape file, the Anthem plans listed in the most California counties are:

• Anthem Kidney Care (PPO C-SNP) — offered in 12 counties, new for 2027.
• Anthem Chronic Care Advantage (PPO C-SNP) — offered in 8 counties, new for 2027.
• Anthem Full Dual Advantage Aligned (HMO D-SNP) — one version offered in 8 counties.
• A second Anthem Full Dual Advantage Aligned (HMO D-SNP) — offered in 7 counties.

Several other plans — including multiple versions of Anthem Prime (HMO-POS), Anthem Select (HMO-POS), Anthem Medicare Advantage (HMO-POS), and the Anthem I CareMore series (HMO-POS and HMO-POS C-SNP) — appear in one to four counties each. The on-page table shows the full list; a plan appearing statewide does not mean it is sold in your specific county.

What is new, and what is not returning

Two Anthem plans are new for 2027: Anthem Kidney Care (PPO C-SNP) and Anthem Chronic Care Advantage (PPO C-SNP). Both are Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans, which have medical eligibility requirements and are not open to all Medicare beneficiaries.

Eight Anthem plans from 2026 are not returning in 2027. If you are currently enrolled in an Anthem plan, your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), typically mailed in September, will tell you whether your specific plan is continuing, changing, or ending. If a plan is ending, CMS allows a Special Enrollment Period so you can choose another plan.

Checking whether a plan is offered in your county — and covers your doctors and prescriptions

Because Medicare Advantage plans are sold county by county, the single most important step is to confirm availability in your ZIP code before making any decision. The CMS Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you do this:

1. Enter your ZIP code and county. 2. Add the prescriptions you currently take, with dosages. 3. Add your preferred pharmacies. 4. Review each plan's drug list (formulary), provider network, and plan documents.

To confirm whether your doctors, hospitals, and specialists are in-network, check the plan's own provider directory and, if possible, call the provider's billing office to verify they accept that specific plan for 2027. For prescriptions, review the plan's 2027 formulary and any utilization rules such as prior authorization or step therapy. These details come from the plan's Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits, and online directories — not from this article.

What to do before December 7

The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. A plan selected during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. A straightforward checklist:

• Read your 2027 Annual Notice of Change if you are already in a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• Make a list of your doctors, hospitals, and current prescriptions.
• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare every plan available in your county — not just Anthem's.
• If you may qualify for a D-SNP, C-SNP, or I-SNP, confirm eligibility rules before enrolling.
• Save confirmation numbers for any enrollment or change you make.

There is no need to rush. The dates are fixed, and the Plan Finder is available throughout the enrollment window.

Where to get free help

For unbiased, no-cost help:

• Visit medicare.gov to use the Plan Finder and read official plan documents.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; TTY users call 1-877-486-2048.

Both resources can walk you through plan comparisons, eligibility, and enrollment without steering you toward any specific carrier.