Medicare Advantage

New for 2027 in Chula Vista: 18 Medicare Advantage plans with no track record yet

For 2027, Chula Vista is looking at 85 Medicare Advantage plans: 18 new, 26 gone since 2026, and 48 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 20 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in San Diego County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — When the Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15, 2026, shoppers in Chula Vista will see 18 Medicare Advantage plans that were not sold in San Diego County for 2026. Ten carriers are adding them, and most are built around a specific need — chronic conditions, in-home support, or drug coverage paired with a familiar HMO or PPO structure. Because none of these plans existed here last year, none has a local track record for members to lean on. That makes the vetting work a little different from choosing a plan that has been around.

What Medicare Advantage plans are new in Chula Vista for 2027?

Eighteen Medicare Advantage plans are new in San Diego County — which includes Chula Vista — for 2027, out of 85 plans offered countywide next year. Ten carriers are introducing them: Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Astiva Health, Blue Shield of California, Champion Heath Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, and SCAN Health Plan.

The table on this page lists every plan available in the county. Named in alphabetical order by carrier, the new entries are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), with drug coverage; Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO), without drug coverage
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Advantage 005 (PPO), Alignment Health Balance Plus 004 (PPO), and Alignment Health Honor Plus 060 (HMO), all with drug coverage
• Astiva Health: Astiva Health C-SNP Bloom (HMO C-SNP) and Astiva Health C-SNP Fountain (HMO C-SNP), both with drug coverage
• Blue Shield of California: Blue Shield Advantage (HMO) and Blue Shield Value Advantage Plan (HMO), both with drug coverage
• Champion Heath Plan: Champion Compass (HMO C-SNP), Champion Home (HMO C-SNP), and Champion Secure (HMO C-SNP), all with drug coverage
• Clever Care Health Plan: Clever Care Breathe Select+ (HMO C-SNP) and Clever Care Total Choice+ (HMO C-SNP), both with drug coverage
• Elevance Health (Anthem): Anthem Kidney Care (PPO C-SNP), with drug coverage
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus H3767-001 (HMO), with drug coverage
• Imperial Health Plan of California: Imperial Flex (HMO C-SNP), with drug coverage
• SCAN Health Plan: SCAN Costco Medicare Advantage (HMO), with drug coverage

Which of the new Chula Vista plans are Special Needs Plans?

Of the 18 new plans in San Diego County for 2027, most are Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs), which are designed for people living with specific long-term health conditions. One is a PPO C-SNP; the rest of the C-SNPs are HMOs or an HMO-POS. The plans that are not C-SNPs are standard HMOs or PPOs open to anyone with Medicare in the service area.

C-SNPs limit enrollment to people whose doctors verify a qualifying condition — such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic lung disorders. If you do not have the qualifying condition the plan is built around, that plan is not for you, no matter how its benefits read.

Do the new plans in Chula Vista include drug coverage?

Yes — all but one of the 18 new plans in San Diego County for 2027 are Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (sometimes called MA-PDs). The one exception is Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO), which is listed as a plan without drug coverage.

If you choose a plan without Part D built in, you need to think separately about how your prescriptions get covered. In most cases, you cannot pair a standalone Part D plan with a Medicare Advantage plan that includes medical-only coverage; your plan documents and the Plan Finder will tell you what is allowed.

How is a brand-new plan different from one that is renewing?

A new plan is a plan CMS has approved for 2027 that was not offered in 2026. The practical difference comes down to history. A renewing plan has a Star Rating based on past performance, member complaints and clinical measures. A new plan has no Star Rating yet because there is no measurement year to score. That is a program fact, not a sign of quality one way or the other.

For a renewing plan, you also have an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that tells you what is shifting from this year to next: formulary moves, cost-sharing changes, network updates. A new plan has no "before" to compare to, so everything you learn comes from the 2027 documents themselves — the Summary of Benefits, the Evidence of Coverage, the provider directory and the formulary — plus whatever Medicare.gov's Plan Finder shows.

How can I check a new Chula Vista plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

Go to Medicare.gov's Plan Finder, sign in (or use the guest option), and enter the drugs you take with their doses and the pharmacies you use. The tool will show which plans cover those drugs in 2027 and at what tier. For doctors, use the carrier's online directory — look up each provider by name and confirm the plan accepts them for 2027, since networks can change at the plan-year boundary. If the directory is confusing, call the plan's member services line and ask them to confirm in writing.

A few practical steps that are worth the time:

• Make a list of every prescription, including dose and quantity, before you start.
• Make a list of every doctor and clinic you want to keep seeing, with the full practice name.
• For a C-SNP, confirm the qualifying condition and how it must be documented.
• Note the plan type — HMO, HMO-POS or PPO — because that drives referrals and out-of-network rules.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. A change made in that window takes effect on January 1, 2027. If you do nothing and your current plan is being renewed, your current coverage continues under the terms spelled out in its ANOC.

What's happening with Part D in 2027?

For plans that include drug coverage, two Part D numbers are already set for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum deductible a plan may charge is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The coverage gap — the old "donut hole" — remains eliminated, so Part D now has three phases instead of four. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills, is also available.

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