Medicare Advantage

Garden Grove Medicare 2027: Your Options

For 2027, Garden Grove is looking at 111 Medicare Advantage plans: 28 new, 21 gone since 2026, and 51 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 19 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Orange County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Sorting through Medicare in Garden Grove can feel overwhelming, especially when you sit down to compare what's available for 2027. The short answer: there's a lot on the table this year, and knowing how the counts break down is the first step to a calm, confident decision.

Garden Grove is in Orange County, where Medicare Advantage shoppers can choose from 92 plans for the 2027 plan year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape files. Sixteen different carriers offer Medicare Advantage prescription drug coverage in the county. That's the pool you're working with — not a ranking, just the size of the menu.

What "92 plans" really means for Garden Grove

Medicare Advantage plan availability is set at the county level, not the city level. So when you see the number 92, that's the count of Medicare Advantage plans a person living anywhere in Orange County — Garden Grove, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine — can consider for 2027.

Not every plan will make sense for every person. Networks, service areas within the county, and drug formularies vary. The 92 figure tells you how wide the field is before you start narrowing it down by what matters to you: your doctors, your prescriptions, and how you like to get care.

The carrier picture

Sixteen carriers offer Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in Orange County for 2027. Compared with 2026, Central Health Medicare Plan and Providence Medicare Advantage Plans are not offering plans in the county, and VillageHealth is new to the county. Of the plans available, 64 are continuing, 28 are new, 21 are not returning, and 19 have been renamed; 32 continuing plans change something in their terms — details are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change.

If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, your insurer will send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each fall. That document tells you what's changing for the next year. It's worth reading even if you plan to stay put.

Stand-alone Part D plans in the area

One thing to know: the CMS Landscape data lists 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans specifically tied to this local area file. Stand-alone Part D plans (PDPs) are typically sold at the state or regional level, and California residents do have PDP options available through medicare.gov's Plan Finder. If you're on Original Medicare and want drug coverage, that's where to look.

Big 2027 program changes to know

Whatever plan path you choose, a few program-wide rules apply everywhere in 2027:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: The cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered prescription drugs hits the cap, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• Part D deductible: The maximum any plan can charge as a Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027).
• No more donut hole: The coverage gap was eliminated in 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: You can opt in to spread your yearly drug costs into monthly payments through your plan, at no added charge.
• IRMAA: Higher-income beneficiaries pay income-related surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, single filers with income above $109,000 may owe IRMAA.

Enrollment dates to circle

Two windows matter most:

• Annual Enrollment Period (AEP): Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. This is when anyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the coming year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (MA OEP): Jan. 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare.

About Star Ratings

CMS publishes Star Ratings (1 to 5) on Medicare Advantage and Part D contracts as one measure of quality and member experience. In the local CMS data for this area, 0 contracts are currently listed at 4 stars or higher. Star Ratings are one data point among many — networks, drug coverage, and cost-sharing all matter too. Use ratings as information, not as a scoreboard.

Who to call for personalized help

With 514,824 people age 65 and older in Orange County, you are far from alone in sorting this out. Free, unbiased help is available:

• medicare.gov — the official Plan Finder lets you enter your drugs and pharmacy to compare plans.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24/7.
• California HICAP — the state's SHIP program offers free one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers.