Medicare Advantage

Before You Compare Premiums in Fremont, Read This

Alameda County has 32 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 10 plans are not coming back, 5 are new, and 27 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 10 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Fremont, not which plan to pick.

Fremont sits inside one of the busier Medicare Advantage markets in Northern California, and the choices on the shelf are not all the same product with different logos. Some are HMOs, a few are PPOs, and a meaningful share are Special Needs Plans built for people with specific health or financial situations. Before you compare premiums or benefits, it helps to know which type of plan you are actually looking at.

What the Fremont-area market looks like

Fremont is in Alameda County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 37 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, offered by 12 carriers. Every one of those plans includes Part D drug coverage.

Alphabetically, the carriers offering MA-PD plans in the county are Aetna (CVS Health), Alameda Alliance for Health, Align Senior Care, Alignment Health Plan, Blue Shield of California, CCHP (Chinese Community Health Plan), Central Health Medicare Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Imperial Health Plan of California, Kaiser Permanente, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare. The number of plans each carrier offers ranges from one to nine. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

There are also Special Needs Plans in the mix, and no stand-alone Part D plans are shown for the county for 2027 — which matters mostly for people who want to keep Original Medicare and add a separate drug plan.

HMO vs. HMO-POS: the most common shapes here

Most of what Fremont-area shoppers will see is an HMO. In a Health Maintenance Organization plan, you generally pick a primary care doctor, use the plan's network of doctors and hospitals, and get referrals for specialists. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except in emergencies.

HMO-POS ("point of service") is a close cousin. It works like an HMO for most care, but the plan allows some services to be received out of network, often at a higher cost. In Alameda County the HMO-POS plans include options from Aetna, Elevance Health (Anthem) and UnitedHealthcare.

If you value low, predictable costs and don't mind sticking to a network, an HMO or HMO-POS may fit. If you travel often or want more freedom to see specialists without referrals, keep reading.

PPO: fewer plans, more flexibility

Some of the 22 Alameda County plans for 2027 are PPOs. A Preferred Provider Organization plan lets you see any Medicare-approved provider who accepts the plan, in or out of network, usually without referrals. You typically pay less when you stay in network and more when you go outside it.

PPOs tend to appeal to people who split time between cities, want easier access to specialists, or already see doctors who may not all be in a single HMO network.

What about PFFS?

Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans are a separate Medicare Advantage type where the plan — not the network — sets the payment terms, and any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to those terms can treat you. For 2027, CMS does not list any PFFS plans in Alameda County. So while PFFS is a real Medicare Advantage plan type nationwide, it isn't part of the Fremont-area menu for 2027.

Special Needs Plans: who they're for

Nearly 4 of every 10 Medicare Advantage plans in the county — 15 of the 37 — are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). These are restricted to people who meet specific criteria:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible): For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid (in California, Medi-Cal). Locally these include plans from Alameda Alliance for Health, Central Health Medicare Plan, and Kaiser Permanente.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition): For people with certain qualifying chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or chronic lung conditions. Alignment Health Plan, Imperial Health Plan of California, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare each offer C-SNP options in the county.
• I-SNP (Institutional): For people who live in, or need the level of care provided by, a nursing home or similar long-term care facility. Align Senior Care offers I-SNP options locally.

If you don't meet the eligibility rules for a given SNP, you can't enroll in it — even if it looks appealing. But if you do qualify, SNPs are designed to tailor benefits, provider networks and drug formularies to that specific population.

How to narrow it down

A few plain questions can shrink 37 choices to a manageable short list:

1. Do I qualify for a Special Needs Plan? If you have Medi-Cal, a qualifying chronic condition, or live in a long-term care setting, a SNP may be worth a look. 2. Do I need in-network flexibility or out-of-network access? That's the HMO vs. PPO question. 3. What drugs do I take? Every Alameda County MA plan includes Part D, but formularies differ. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The coverage gap has been eliminated (there are now three phases). The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year. 4. What are my doctors and hospitals in? Provider networks vary plan by plan.

Higher-income enrollees should also be aware of IRMAA, the income-related surcharge that begins above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026 and can raise your Part B and Part D premiums.

Timing matters too. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) gives you one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.