Medicare Advantage

Bakersfield's 2027 Medicare Advantage roster: 11 carriers, plan by plan

For 2027, Bakersfield is looking at 42 Medicare Advantage plans: 11 new, 8 gone since 2026, and 14 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 4 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Kern County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageBakersfield, CA

For Bakersfield residents sorting through their Medicare choices for 2027, here is a straightforward look at what's on the shelf. Bakersfield sits in Kern County, and that's the level where Medicare Advantage plan availability is set. For the 2027 plan year, 11 carriers are offering Medicare Advantage plans there, and every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage. The table below lists each plan, its carrier, its plan type, and its drug-coverage status.

What's on offer in Kern County for 2027

Kern County has 38 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Every plan includes drug coverage, so residents who choose one of these plans do not need to add a stand-alone Part D plan. Of this year's roster, 27 plans continue from 2026, 11 are new, 8 are not returning, and 4 have been renamed; 10 of the continuing plans change something in their terms, and the details are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change.

Nineteen of the 39 plans are Special Needs Plans. SNPs are limited to people who meet a specific requirement: being enrolled in both Medicare and Medi-Cal (D-SNP), or having a qualifying chronic condition (C-SNP). If none of those apply to you, an SNP isn't the right fit — and the plan roster on this page notes which plans are SNPs.

The 11 carriers, in alphabetical order

Here's how many plans each carrier is offering in the county for 2026. The full plan-by-plan list is in the table below.

• Aetna (CVS Health): 4 plans (HMO, HMO-POS)
• Blue Shield of California: 1 plan (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): 2 plans (HMO; both Special Needs)
• Central Health Medicare Plan: 5 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs)
• Champion Health Plan: 7 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 6 Special Needs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem): 4 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 2 Special Needs)
• Humana: 5 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc.: 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Kaiser Permanente: 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Kern Family Health Care Medicare (D-SNP): 1 plan (HMO; Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare: 4 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 2 Special Needs)

Making sense of the plan types

The plan-type label after each plan name tells you how it works.

An HMO generally asks you to use doctors in the plan's network and pick a primary care physician. An HMO-POS ("point of service") is an HMO with a limited option to see certain out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost. A PPO gives you more flexibility to see out-of-network providers, though in-network care still costs less. A tag like D-SNP means Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (for people with both Medicare and Medi-Cal), and C-SNP means Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan.

Every plan on the 2027 Kern County roster includes Part D drug coverage, so you don't need to shop for a separate drug plan alongside it.

The Part D rules that apply in 2027

No matter which Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage you pick, the same federal Part D rules apply in 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the year in monthly installments, at no extra charge. You have to opt in.
• Higher-income enrollees pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Specific premiums, deductibles, copays, and networks vary plan by plan. Those numbers live in each plan's own documents and on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare.

Dates to keep in mind

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. That's when almost anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for 2027.

If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31. During that window you can switch to a different Advantage plan or drop Advantage and return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).

About Star Ratings and the county picture

You may see CMS Star Ratings while comparing plans on Medicare Plan Finder. Ratings are a snapshot of quality and member experience, not a guarantee of what your experience will be. What matters most is whether your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget line up with a plan's rules.