Medicare Advantage

26 new Medicare Advantage plans reach Long Beach for 2027: how to check one before Dec. 7

For 2027, Long Beach 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.

Long Beach, Calif. — When the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, shoppers here will see something they could not pick last year: 26 Medicare Advantage plans that are brand new for 2027. A new plan looks the same as a renewing one on the Medicare Plan Finder, but it comes with no local track record yet — no past Star Rating, no prior Annual Notice of Change, no neighbor who has used it. That makes the homework a little different.

Long Beach is in Los Angeles County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set. For 2027, the county's lineup includes 26 new plans alongside returning ones, and you have until Dec. 7, 2026 to make a change that starts Jan. 1, 2027.

Who is bringing new plans to Los Angeles County for 2027

The 26 new plans come from 12 carriers. Listed alphabetically by carrier, with the count each is adding: Aetna (CVS Health) (2), Alignment Health Plan (5), Astiva Health (2), Blue Shield of California (2), Centene (WellCare) (1), Champion Heath Plan (3), Clever Care Health Plan (2), Humana (1), Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. (1), SCAN Health Plan (5), UnitedHealthcare (1), and VillageHealth (1).

The table on this page lists every one by name, plan type, and whether it includes drug coverage. Here they are in the same alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP); Aetna Medicare Eagle (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Advantage 005 (PPO); Alignment Health BRIDGE 003 (HMO); Alignment Health Honor Plus 060 (HMO); Central Health Harmony 001 (HMO); Central Health Harmony Plus 002 (HMO C-SNP)
• Astiva Health: Astiva Health C-SNP Bloom (HMO C-SNP); Astiva Health C-SNP Fountain (HMO C-SNP)
• Blue Shield of California: Blue Shield Advantage (HMO); Blue Shield Value Advantage Plan (HMO)
• Centene (WellCare): Wellcare Health Net Dual Align (HMO D-SNP)
• Champion Heath Plan: Champion Compass (HMO C-SNP); Champion Home (HMO C-SNP); Champion Secure (HMO C-SNP)
• Clever Care Health Plan: Clever Care Breathe Select+ (HMO C-SNP); Clever Care Total Choice+ (HMO C-SNP)
• Humana: Humana Gold Plus H3767-002 (HMO)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc.: Imperial Flex (HMO C-SNP)
• SCAN Health Plan: CareMore Health Plan by SCAN (HMO); SCAN Ansim Care (HMO C-SNP); SCAN Baekse (HMO); SCAN Costco Medicare Advantage (HMO); SCAN Inclusive (HMO)
• UnitedHealthcare: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-45 (HMO-POS)
• VillageHealth: SCAN DaVita Dialysis Care Complete (HMO-POS C-SNP)

All 26 include Part D drug coverage.

Plan types and Special Needs Plans in the new group

The new plans fall into three familiar shapes. Most are HMOs, with a handful of HMO-POS (an HMO with a point-of-service option) and one PPO (Alignment Health Advantage 005). Each plan type has its own rules about networks and referrals, and it's worth reading the plan's Summary of Benefits to understand how it handles out-of-network care.

A large share of the new plans — more than half — are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), designed for people who meet specific criteria:

• Chronic-condition SNPs (C-SNP) are for people with a qualifying condition such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic lung disorders. You generally have to document the condition to enroll.
• Dual-eligible SNPs (D-SNP) are for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal.
• Institutional SNPs (I-SNP) are for people who live in, or need the level of care of, a nursing facility.

If a plan name includes C-SNP, D-SNP or I-SNP, it isn't open to everyone — eligibility comes first.

How a new plan is different from a renewing one

A plan that returns from 2026 to 2027 has history: current members have an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) that spells out exactly what's shifting on Jan. 1, and the plan has at least one Star Rating from CMS.

A brand-new plan is different in two practical ways:

1. No Star Rating yet. CMS needs about a year of claims and member data before it assigns a rating. That's a program fact, not a mark against the plan — it just means you can't lean on a rating the way you might with a long-running plan. 2. No ANOC comparison. There is no "last year" to compare, so what you see in the plan's 2027 documents is what you've got.

Everything else works the same way: the plan has a Summary of Benefits, an Evidence of Coverage, a provider directory, and a drug formulary. Those documents are where the specifics live.

How to check a new plan against your doctors and prescriptions

Before you enroll in anything new — or stay in anything renewing — walk through the same short checklist. You can do all of this on medicare.gov or by calling 1‑800‑MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Log in to the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov/plan-compare. If you create or sign in to your account, you can save your prescriptions and pharmacies so they're ready each year.
• Enter every drug you take, with the exact dose and quantity. The Plan Finder will show whether each one is on the plan's formulary, what tier it's on, and what the plan would charge at your pharmacy.
• Add the pharmacies you actually use. Preferred vs. standard status can change what you pay.
• Check your doctors and hospitals. Click into the plan and use its provider search, or call the plan's member services line listed on the Plan Finder. For specialists and the hospital system you'd want to use, confirm directly with the office that they'll accept the specific plan for 2027 — networks can shift between years.
• Read the Summary of Benefits for the plan's rules on referrals, prior authorization and out-of-network care.
• For an SNP, confirm you'll meet the eligibility rule (the condition, dual status, or institutional level of care).

If anything is a must-have — a specific oncologist, a particular hospital, a brand-name drug — don't assume. Verify, then enroll.

Key dates and figures for 2027

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. Choices made in this window take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, when MA members can make one change.
• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• CMS publishes the 2027 Part B standard premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA income brackets later in the fall, usually in November.

If you do nothing by Dec. 7, your current plan simply renews for 2027 as long as it is still offered. Your ANOC, mailed in September, lists what will be different.