Medicare Advantage

Oct 15–Dec 7: Your Window to Switch Plans in Glendale

For 2027, Glendale is looking at 124 Medicare Advantage plans: 26 new, 23 gone since 2026, and 61 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 23 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Los Angeles County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageGlendale, CA

For Glendale residents comparing coverage this fall, the 2026 Medicare Advantage menu is a long one. Glendale is in Los Angeles County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 121 Medicare Advantage plans available for the coming plan year, sold by 21 different carriers. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage. The full list — carrier by carrier, with plan type and drug coverage noted — is in the table below.

What's on offer in Glendale for 2026

Because Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, everyone with Medicare in Glendale can choose from the same 121 plans available across Los Angeles County. That is a big menu compared with most parts of the country.

Here is what the 2026 roster looks like at a glance:

• 121 Medicare Advantage plans total
• 21 carriers offering plans (19 offer plans that include drug coverage as MA-PD)
• Plan types: 89 HMO, 24 HMO-POS, 8 PPO
• 47 Special Needs Plans, aimed at people with certain chronic conditions, people who also have Medi-Cal, or people who live in a nursing facility
• 121 of 121 plans include Part D prescription drug coverage
• 0 stand-alone Part D drug plans are needed here, since drug coverage is built into every Medicare Advantage plan on the list

The table below lists every plan by carrier, along with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage.

The carriers selling plans this year

Twenty-one carriers are on the 2026 Los Angeles County landscape file. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 8 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO)
• AHF — 1 plan (HMO)
• Align Senior Care — 3 plans (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan — 19 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Astiva Health — 4 plans (HMO)
• Blue Shield of California — 5 plans (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare) — 6 plans (HMO)
• Central Health Medicare Plan — 7 plans (HMO)
• Champion Heath Plan — 7 plans (HMO, HMO-POS)
• Clever Care Health Plan — 4 plans (HMO)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 13 plans (HMO, HMO-POS)
• Elite Health Plan, Inc. — 2 plans (HMO)
• Humana — 7 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. — 3 plans (HMO)
• Kaiser Permanente — 4 plans (HMO)
• L.A. Care Health Plan — 1 plan (HMO)
• Molina Healthcare of California — 2 plans (HMO)
• SCAN Health Plan — 14 plans (HMO)
• UCLA Health Medicare Advantage Plan — 2 plans (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare — 8 plans (HMO, HMO-POS)
• VillageHealth — 1 plan (HMO-POS)

Some names may be familiar national brands (Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Shield of California). Others — like Central Health Medicare Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Astiva Health, Alignment Health Plan and SCAN Health Plan — are regional or California-focused insurers that build a large share of their business in Southern California.

Understanding the plan types

Every Medicare Advantage plan on the Los Angeles County list falls into one of three plan types. The type matters because it shapes how you use the plan.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally choose a primary care doctor and stay in the plan's network. Out-of-network care usually isn't covered except in emergencies. 89 of the 121 plans in the county are HMOs.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Like an HMO, but the plan allows some out-of-network services under specific rules. There are 24 HMO-POS plans on the 2026 list.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can typically see out-of-network providers, though usually at a higher cost share. Eight PPOs are available for 2026 — offered by Aetna, Alignment Health Plan and Humana.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs)

Of the 121 plans, 47 are Special Needs Plans. SNPs limit membership to people who meet certain qualifications, and there are three kinds:

• C-SNPs for people with specific chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disorders or kidney disease.
• D-SNPs for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program).
• I-SNPs for people who live in — or need the level of care provided by — a nursing facility.

You'll see SNPs across many of the carriers in the table, including Alignment Health Plan, Anthem, Blue Shield of California, Centene (WellCare), Central Health Medicare Plan, Champion Heath Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Imperial Health Plan, Kaiser Permanente, L.A. Care, Molina Healthcare of California, SCAN Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. If you think a SNP might fit your situation, ask the plan whether you qualify before you enroll.

Drug coverage is built in

Every Medicare Advantage plan on the Los Angeles County list for 2026 includes Part D prescription drug coverage. Because of that, CMS shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans as needed alongside the MA menu in this area — the drug benefit is bundled inside each plan.

A few program-level facts about Part D that apply to any Medicare drug plan in 2026:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 (individual plans may set a lower one).
• The old coverage gap, or "donut hole," has been eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is available, letting you spread your drug costs across the calendar year in monthly amounts rather than paying at the pharmacy counter.

Each plan still sets its own formulary (covered drug list), tier structure and pharmacy network, so if you take specific medications, look them up in the plan's formulary before you enroll.

How to compare plans the right way

This article and the table below tell you what's available. They don't tell you what a plan will cost you, which doctors are in its network, or how it will handle your medications — and, under CMS rules, we can't attach prices, benefits or ratings to any of the plans by name here.

For that side of the comparison:

• Use Medicare.gov's Plan Finder to sort by premium, drug costs, star ratings and more, using your ZIP code and your prescription list.
• Read the plan's Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage on the carrier's website.
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), open 24/7.
• Get free, unbiased counseling from California's SHIP (HICAP), the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, at 1-800-434-0222.

Key dates for 2026 coverage

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Coverage starts January 1.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan once or return to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan).