Medicare Advantage

Fremont 2027 Medicare Advantage Choices

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.

Medicare AdvantageFremont, CA

If you live in Fremont and you're sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, this page is a plain-language map of what's actually on the shelf. Fremont sits in Alameda County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level — so every plan below is available to Fremont residents through the county roster CMS publishes each fall.

For plan year 2027, Alameda County has 22 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers. The full lineup, by carrier, is in the table below.

What "available in Fremont" actually means

Medicare uses your county of residence — not your city — to decide which Medicare Advantage plans you can join. Fremont is in Alameda County, so the 22 plans below are the ones a Fremont resident can choose from in 2027. The source is the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file for the 2027 plan year.

That means a neighbor in Oakland or Hayward sees the same list you do. If you move out of Alameda County, your options change, and moving is a qualifying event that can let you switch plans outside the normal windows.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Alameda County

Ten carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county for 2027. In alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 5 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO)
• Alameda Alliance for Health — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Align Senior Care — 3 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• Alignment Health Plan — 9 plans (HMO; 6 Special Needs)
• Blue Shield of California — 1 plan (HMO)
• CCHP (Chinese Community Health Plan) — 2 plans (HMO)
• Central Health Medicare Plan — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 2 plans (HMO-POS)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. — 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Kaiser Permanente — 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• SCAN Health Plan — 5 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare — 2 plans (HMO-POS; 1 Special Needs)

The table further down this page lists every individual plan by name, its plan type, and whether it includes drug coverage.

Understanding the plan types on the list

The letters after each plan name tell you how the plan works.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): You generally use a set network of doctors and hospitals, and you usually need a referral to see a specialist.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service): An HMO with a limited option to go outside the network for certain services, typically at a higher cost.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost than in-network care.

You'll also see SNP (Special Needs Plan) tags. These are only for people who meet specific eligibility rules:

• D-SNP — for people with both Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California).
• C-SNP — for people with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions.
• I-SNP — for people living in a long-term care setting or who need that level of care at home.

Of the 37 plans in Alameda County, 15 are Special Needs Plans. If you don't qualify, those plans aren't options for you, which narrows the list quickly.

A note about drug coverage

CMS lists 0 stand-alone Part D plans on the 2027 Alameda County landscape file — so people who want drug coverage in this area will typically get it through a Medicare Advantage plan that already includes it.

A few program-level facts worth knowing for 2027, regardless of which plan you pick:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027) for the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated in 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs out in monthly payments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA income surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

How to actually decide

With 37 plans on the table, a good way to narrow things down is to ask, in this order:

1. Do I qualify for a Special Needs Plan? If yes (Medi-Cal, a listed chronic condition, or long-term care needs), that shortens the list. 2. What plan type fits how I want to see doctors? HMO, HMO-POS, or PPO — this is about flexibility and referrals, not about which carrier is "better." 3. Are my doctors and hospitals in the plan's network? Networks in the Bay Area vary a lot between carriers. Always check the plan's current provider directory. 4. Are my prescriptions on the plan's formulary, and at what tier? The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your drugs and see what each plan would charge. 5. What are the plan's costs and rules for the care I actually use? Premiums, deductibles, copays, and prior-authorization rules live in each plan's Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage.

We are not going to rank plans or point at a favorite — that's not what a news page should do, and cost and fit are personal. But the five questions above will cut a 37-plan list down to a short list you can actually compare.

Dates to keep in mind

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. Changes made here take effect Jan. 1.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare once during this window.
• Special Enrollment Periods may apply if you move, lose other coverage, qualify for Medicaid, or meet other CMS criteria.

Where to get personalized help

• medicare.gov/plan-compare — the official Medicare Plan Finder. Enter your ZIP code and your drug list to see specifics for each plan.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24/7.
• California's SHIP program (HICAP) offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling to Alameda County residents. Call 1-800-434-0222 to be connected with a local counselor.