Medicare Advantage
Anthem's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Irvine: every option on the shelf
IRVINE, Calif. — Fall 2026. With the Annual Enrollment Period running October 15 through December 7, 2026, Irvine residents who are weighing an Anthem Medicare Advantage plan for next year now have a clear picture of what the carrier is putting on the shelf. Irvine sits in Orange County, where Anthem — grouped by federal regulators as Elevance Health (Anthem) — is offering 12 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File.
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Key takeaways
- Anthem is offering 12 Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027, and all 12 include drug coverage.
- The lineup breaks down as 1 HMO and 11 HMO-POS plans, with 6 Special Needs Plans (5 Chronic Condition SNPs and 1 Institutional SNP).
- Anthem is not adding new plans and is not pulling any plans in the county for 2027, but every renewing plan has an Annual Notice of Change worth reading.
- You have until December 7, 2026 to switch, join or drop a plan for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare Advantage plans offered in Orange County (2026) | 104 | CMS |
| Medicare Advantage plans offered in Orange County (2027) | 111 | CMS |
| Plans not returning for 2027 / new for 2027 | 21 / 28 | CMS |
| Organizations offering Medicare Advantage in Orange County (2026) | 17 | CMS |
| Share of eligible beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage, Orange County | 56% | CMS |
| Residents age 65 and older, Orange County | 514,824 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Part B standard monthly premium (2026) | $202.90 | Medicare.gov |
| Part D out-of-pocket cap (2026) | $2,100 | CMS |
| Part D out-of-pocket cap (2027) | $2,400 | CMS |
| Annual Enrollment Period (for 2027 coverage) | October 15 – December 7, 2026 | Medicare.gov |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period | January 1 – March 31 | Medicare.gov |
Area counts are for the county as a whole and are not a recommendation of any plan. Program figures are set nationally.
This article walks through that lineup: how many plans Anthem is offering, how they split by plan type, which are Special Needs Plans, how drug coverage lines up, and what is changing year over year. MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site, not Anthem and not Medicare, and 15 other carriers also sell Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027.
How many Anthem Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Irvine for 2027?
Anthem is offering 12 Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County, the county Irvine sits in, for the 2027 plan year. That count comes from the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for 2027, which is the federal government's official list of what each carrier is selling in each county.
All 12 of Anthem's plans include Part D prescription drug coverage. The table below lists every Anthem plan available in the county, with its plan type and whether it is a Special Needs Plan.
For context, 15 other carriers also sell Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County next year, for a county-wide total of 111 plans across all insurers. Anthem is one choice among many; this article focuses on its lineup because that is what the reader clicked for.
What plan types does Anthem offer in Orange County for 2027?
Anthem's 2027 Orange County lineup is 1 HMO plan and 11 HMO-POS plans. There are no PPO or regional plans in this carrier's local roster.
An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) generally asks you to use the plan's network of doctors and hospitals and to pick a primary care doctor. An HMO-POS (Point of Service) works the same way but adds a limited option to go out of network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. The specifics — which doctors are in the network, what each service costs, what the referral rules are — live in each plan's Evidence of Coverage, not in a summary like this one.
Which Anthem plans in Irvine are Special Needs Plans?
Six of Anthem's 12 Orange County plans for 2027 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs): 5 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) and 1 Institutional SNP (I-SNP). Anthem is not offering a Dual Eligible SNP (D-SNP) in this county for 2027.
SNPs are built for people who meet a specific condition:
- C-SNPs are for people living with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, or lung or kidney disease. Anthem's local C-SNPs — listed in the table under the CareMore brand — target conditions like chronic lung disease, kidney disease, and other chronic conditions.
- I-SNPs are for people who live in (or need the level of care provided in) a long-term care facility.
You can only enroll in a SNP if you meet its eligibility rules. Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov can confirm whether a given SNP fits your situation.
Do all of Anthem's 2027 Irvine plans include drug coverage?
Yes. All 12 of Anthem's Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027 are offered as Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans, meaning Part D drug coverage is built in. You do not add a separate stand-alone Part D plan when you enroll in an MA-PD.
A few 2027 Part D program-level figures are worth knowing as you compare drug coverage:
- The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
- The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
- The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments, remains available.
Each plan sets its own formulary (the list of drugs it covers) and its own tier structure within the federal rules, so your actual costs depend on the specific plan and the specific drugs.
What is new or not returning in Anthem's Irvine lineup for 2027?
Comparing the CMS 2026 and 2027 Landscape Source Files for Orange County: Anthem has 0 new plans for 2027 and is not pulling any of its plans from the county for 2027. The 12 plans listed in the table are the same roster carrying over into next year.
That does not mean nothing is changing inside those plans. Every Medicare Advantage plan sends members an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each fall that spells out what is different for the coming year — premiums, copays, drug tiers, provider network, extra benefits. If you are already in an Anthem plan, the ANOC is the document to pull out before December 7. If you cannot find it, you can call the member services number on the back of your card.
How do I check an Anthem plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?
The fastest, most accurate way is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You enter your ZIP code and your prescriptions, and it will show you how each plan available in Orange County covers your specific drugs, along with each plan's premium, deductible, copays and star rating. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A quick checklist before you decide:
1. Doctors and hospitals. Call the plan or check its online provider directory to confirm your primary care doctor, specialists and preferred hospital are in network for 2027. Networks can change year to year. 2. Prescriptions. Enter every drug you take into Plan Finder, with the dose and how often you fill it. Check the plan's 2027 formulary, not 2026's. 3. The ANOC. If you are renewing, read what is changing in your current plan before you decide whether to stay. 4. Pharmacies. Confirm your preferred pharmacy is a preferred (not just standard) pharmacy in the plan — the cost difference can be real. 5. Extra benefits. Dental, vision, hearing, OTC and fitness benefits vary a lot by plan; read the Summary of Benefits.
Two 2027 figures CMS has not yet published, as of this writing: the standard Part B premium and deductible, and the IRMAA income brackets and surcharges for higher-income beneficiaries. CMS usually announces those in the fall, typically in November. Do not let anyone quote you a projected 2027 Part B premium as if it were final.
What happens if I do nothing by December 7?
If you take no action during the Annual Enrollment Period and your current Anthem plan is being offered again in 2027 — which, per the CMS data, every one of Anthem's 12 Orange County plans is — your coverage simply renews on January 1, 2027, with the changes described in your ANOC. Nothing is cancelled and you do not need to re-enroll.
You will still have a second window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, 2027, during which someone already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan once, or drop back to Original Medicare.
By the numbers
Medicare Part B premium, 2006–2026
The standard monthly Part B premium has climbed from $88.50 in 2006 to $202.90 in 2026. Hover any point for that year’s premium.
Source: CMS. Standard premium shown; in some hold-harmless years many existing enrollees paid less. Confirm at Medicare.gov.
By the numbers
How people get Medicare in Orange County
(MA penetration in Orange County)
MA penetration from CMS enrollment data; Medigap share is an estimate. U.S. average is about 54% Medicare Advantage. These are area-level figures, not plan-specific.
2027 plan lineup
Anthem Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027
CMS lists 12 Anthem Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027, alphabetically by carrier. 15 other carriers also offer plans there.
| Plan | Type | Drug coverage | For 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevance Health (Anthem) 12 plans | |||
| Anthem I CareMore Chronic Care (HMO-POS C-SNP) | HMO-POS C-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Chronic Care 2 (HMO-POS C-SNP) | HMO-POS C-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Home Care (HMO I-SNP) | HMO I-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Kidney Care (HMO-POS C-SNP) | HMO-POS C-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Lung Care (HMO-POS C-SNP) | HMO-POS C-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Lung Care 2 (HMO-POS C-SNP) | HMO-POS C-SNP | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Medicare Advantage (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Medicare Advantage 2 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem I CareMore Premium Savings (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem Medicare Advantage (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem Prime (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
| Anthem Select (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | Yes | Returning |
Source: CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files, plan years 2026 and 2027. Plan availability is set at the county level. No plan is ranked or recommended; premiums, benefits, networks and star ratings are not shown. Plan details come from the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or the plan itself.
The 2027 choices, by type
How Anthem Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County break down for 2027
HMO plans use a network and usually a primary-care doctor and referrals; HMO-POS plans add some out-of-network coverage; PPO plans also cover out-of-network care, at a higher share; PFFS plans pay any provider that accepts the plan’s terms. Special Needs Plans serve people with Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), certain chronic conditions (C-SNP) or living in an institution (I-SNP).
Source: CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files, plan years 2026 and 2027. Plan availability is set at the county level. No plan is ranked or recommended; premiums, benefits, networks and star ratings are not shown. Plan details come from the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or the plan itself.
Key dates
Medicare enrollment periods at a glance
- Around your 65thInitial Enrollment PeriodA 7-month window around the month you turn 65 — your first chance to sign up.
- October 15 – December 7Annual Enrollment PeriodAnyone with Medicare can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
- January 1 – March 31Medicare Advantage Open EnrollmentIf you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change.
- January 1 – March 31General Enrollment PeriodFor people who missed their first chance to sign up for Part B.
- VariesSpecial Enrollment PeriodTriggered by life events like moving or losing other coverage.
Dates are set by Medicare and apply nationwide. Confirm your personal windows at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
When can you enroll? An interactive year
Enrollment windows are federal and the same nationwide. Confirm your personal dates at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Explore
The parts of Medicare
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is Anthem the same company as Elevance Health?
Can I enroll in an Anthem Medicare Advantage plan if I live in Irvine but see doctors in Los Angeles County?
What is the difference between an HMO and an HMO-POS plan?
When will CMS announce the 2027 Part B premium?
- CMS — MA Landscape Source File (plan-level availability by county)
- CMS — MA Landscape Source Files, current and coming plan year (year-over-year comparison)
- CMS — Medicare enrollment periods (medicare.gov)
For personalized answers, contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Also for Irvine
Sources and methodology
- CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape Source Files
- CMS, Medicare Advantage state/county penetration and enrollment files
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (table B01001, age 65 and older)
- Medicare.gov, Medicare costs (Part B premium)
- CMS, Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) program rules
- CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D plan-year announcements
- Medicare.gov, enrollment periods and plan rules
Figures cited in this article
- CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File (plan year 2027): Anthem's 2027 Orange County plan roster, plan types, SNP counts and drug coverage.
- CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source Files (plan years 2026 and 2027): the year-over-year comparison showing 0 new, 0 not returning.
- CMS Part D program parameters for 2027: the $2,400 out-of-pocket cap and $700 maximum deductible.
- Medicare.gov: the Annual Enrollment Period dates, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment dates, and the Plan Finder tool for checking doctors and drugs.
How we put this together: area counts come from the CMS files listed above for the county that contains this city, program figures come from CMS, Medicare.gov and the Social Security Administration, and no plan is ranked or recommended.
By The Medicare Desk · Published . For personalized answers, contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
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This page was last updated: October 2026.