Medicare Advantage

Three HMOs, One D-SNP: Kaiser's Kern County 2027 Slate

Bakersfield, Calif. — Fall 2026. With the Annual Enrollment Period running October 15 through December 7, 2026, Bakersfield residents who have — or are considering — a Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plan can now see exactly what the carrier will offer in Kern County for 2027. Kaiser Permanente is returning with three Medicare Advantage plans here, all HMOs, all with drug coverage, and one of them a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site. We are not Kaiser Permanente, and ten other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Kern County for 2027. This article focuses on Kaiser Permanente's slate so you can see it at a glance before December 7.

What Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Bakersfield for 2027?

Kaiser Permanente is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in Kern County — the county Bakersfield sits in — for the 2027 plan year. All three are HMOs and all three include prescription drug coverage. Listed alphabetically, they are:

• Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete South P7 (HMO D-SNP)
• Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Basic Kern (HMO)
• Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Enhanced Kern (HMO)

The table below lists each plan with its type and drug coverage. We do not publish premiums, copays, networks or star ratings here, because those details change and are best confirmed on the Medicare Plan Finder or in the plan's own Evidence of Coverage.

Is anything new or not returning from Kaiser Permanente in Kern County for 2027?

For 2027, Kaiser Permanente is not adding a new Medicare Advantage plan in Kern County and is not pulling one from the market. The same three plans that were offered in 2026 are being offered again in 2027.

That does not mean nothing changes. Every Medicare Advantage plan can adjust its premium, deductible, drug formulary, provider network and extra benefits from one year to the next. Those changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each plan mails to current members in late September. If you are already in one of the three plans, that ANOC is the single most important document to read before December 7, 2026.

What is a D-SNP, and who is the Kaiser Permanente D-SNP for?

A Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, or D-SNP, is a type of Medicare Advantage plan built specifically for people who qualify for both Medicare and their state's Medicaid program — in California, that's Medi-Cal. One of Kaiser Permanente's three Kern County plans, Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete South P7 (HMO D-SNP), falls in this category.

To join a D-SNP, you generally need to be enrolled in both Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medi-Cal. If you are not sure whether you qualify for Medi-Cal, Covered California and your county's Medi-Cal office can confirm. People in a D-SNP typically have more enrollment flexibility during the year than people in standard Medicare Advantage plans.

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

The most reliable way is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your ZIP code, add your prescriptions and dosages, and add your preferred doctors or pharmacies. The tool will show you, for each 2027 plan in Kern County, whether your drugs are on the formulary, what tier they fall on, and which pharmacies are in-network.

Three practical steps before the December 7, 2026 deadline:

1. Read your ANOC. If you are already in a Kaiser Permanente plan, compare the 2027 column to 2026 for premium, drug tiers and any extra benefits you use. 2. Confirm your doctors. Kaiser Permanente HMOs generally use Kaiser's own medical groups and facilities. Call the plan or check its online provider directory for 2027. 3. Price your prescriptions. Even on the same plan, a drug can move tiers year to year. Run your list through the Plan Finder for 2027.

If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews on January 1, 2027 with the changes described in the ANOC — assuming it is still offered, which all three Kaiser Permanente plans are.

What 2027 Medicare numbers are already confirmed?

A few program-level figures for 2027 are set:

• The Part D 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).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes them later in the fall.

Also still in effect: the coverage gap (the old "donut hole") has been eliminated since 2025, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments.

When is the enrollment deadline, and what happens on January 1?

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. Any change you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. After December 7, Medicare Advantage members get a second, more limited window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, 2027 — to make one change (for example, switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare).

If you do nothing by December 7 and your plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay enrolled with the 2027 changes from your ANOC.