Medicare Advantage

Blue Shield of California Medicare Advantage in California for 2027: 20 Plans

CALIFORNIA — Blue Shield of California will offer 20 Medicare Advantage plans in California for the 2027 plan year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files for CY2027. All 20 include prescription drug coverage, one is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), and five are new for next year. Blue Shield is one of 36 carriers in the state's Medicare Advantage market, where 394 plans will be available in total across California counties.

2027 plan lineupCalifornia

This article is published by an independent Medicare education site. We are privately owned, we are not the government, and we are not Blue Shield of California or any other insurance carrier. Everything below comes from the CMS Landscape files for California; it does not include premiums, deductibles, copays, benefits, provider networks, drug lists or star ratings.

What Blue Shield of California offers statewide for 2027

Across California, Blue Shield of California's 2027 lineup includes 20 Medicare Advantage plans. All 20 are HMOs, and all 20 include Part D prescription drug coverage. Within that total, Blue Shield lists one Special Needs Plan: a D-SNP designed for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal. The carrier is not offering a Chronic Condition SNP (C-SNP) or an Institutional SNP (I-SNP) in California for 2027.

For context, CMS lists 36 Medicare Advantage carriers operating in California for 2027, with 394 plans statewide when every carrier is counted. Blue Shield is one carrier within that broader landscape; the counts here describe only Blue Shield's own plans.

Plans with the widest county reach

Among Blue Shield of California's 2027 plans, the one appearing in the largest number of California counties is a version of Blue Shield Inspire (HMO), listed in four counties. Several other plans — including additional Blue Shield Inspire (HMO) entries, Blue Shield 65 Plus (HMO), Blue Shield 65 Plus Choice Plan (HMO), Blue Shield 65 Plus Plan 2 (HMO), Blue Shield Advantage (HMO), Blue Shield AdvantageOptimum Plan (HMO) and the Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP) — appear in two counties each. The remaining plans in the lineup are offered in a single county.

The full plan-by-plan county counts appear in the table on this page. Because Medicare Advantage availability is set county by county, a plan that is on the statewide list may or may not be sold where you live. The right way to check is by ZIP code and county.

What is new or not returning

Five Blue Shield of California plans are new for 2027: three Blue Shield Advantage (HMO) entries and two Blue Shield Value Advantage Plan (HMO) entries, each tied to specific counties in the CMS file. In addition, the plan previously called Blue Shield TotalDual Plan (HMO D-SNP) has been renamed to Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP) for 2027; it is the same contract and plan ID with a new name.

On the other side of the ledger, the CMS Landscape comparison between CY2026 and CY2027 shows zero Blue Shield of California plans not returning for 2027. If you are currently enrolled in a Blue Shield plan, you should still read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each fall, because premiums, cost sharing, drug formularies and provider networks can change from one year to the next even when the plan itself is continuing.

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

Three practical steps:

1. Confirm the plan is sold in your county. Enter your ZIP code at medicare.gov and use the Plan Finder to see the exact Blue Shield of California plans available where you live for 2027. 2. Check doctors and hospitals. Blue Shield's HMO plans use provider networks. Look up each of your doctors, specialists and preferred hospitals in the plan's provider directory, or call the plan to confirm. 3. Check prescriptions. Enter each medication you take into Plan Finder, or review the plan's formulary (drug list) and pharmacy directory. Costs and tiers can differ a lot between plans with similar names.

If you qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal, the Blue Shield Medicare + Medi-Cal Plan (HMO D-SNP) is the D-SNP in this lineup; eligibility rules apply and should be confirmed before enrolling.

What to do before December 7

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. Any Medicare Advantage or Part D choice you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027. A simple checklist:

• Read your current plan's ANOC and compare it with what you need for next year.
• Make a short list of your doctors, hospitals and prescriptions.
• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare plans available in your county.
• Call the plan directly, or review its Evidence of Coverage, before enrolling.
• Keep a confirmation number for any enrollment you complete.

There is no advantage to waiting until the last day. There is also no need to rush: the deadline is a date, December 7, 2026, not a countdown.

Where to get free help

For free, unbiased help you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including TTY service at 1-877-486-2048. You can also compare plans yourself at medicare.gov. For plan-specific questions — what a copay would be, whether your cardiologist is in network, whether a particular drug is covered — contact Blue Shield of California directly using the member services number on the plan's page in Plan Finder or in its Evidence of Coverage.