Medicare Advantage

Los Angeles Medicare Advantage for 2027: how HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans actually differ

People in Los Angeles can choose from 124 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 121 this year. 23 of this year’s plans are gone, 26 are new to Los Angeles County, and 61 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 23 of them under a new name.

Los Angeles — October 2026. When the Annual Enrollment Period opens on October 15, Angelenos comparing Medicare Advantage will see familiar plan-type labels on every option: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO. Those two or three letters shape how you see doctors, whether you need referrals, and what happens if you get care outside your plan's network. For plan year 2027, Los Angeles is in Los Angeles County, where the lineup leans heavily toward HMOs.

How the Los Angeles County lineup splits for 2027

According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape for plan year 2027, Los Angeles County has 124 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 20 carriers. By plan type, that's 95 HMO plans, 23 HMO-POS plans and 6 PPO plans. Counting HMO and HMO-POS together, 118 of the 124 plans — roughly 95% — are built on an HMO framework. PFFS plans are not on the menu here.

That mix matters because the plan type sets the ground rules for how you use your coverage. The table below lists every 2027 plan in the county, with its type and carrier.

What each plan type actually means

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You use the plan's network of doctors, hospitals and other providers. You usually pick a primary care physician, and you typically need a referral to see a specialist. Care outside the network is generally not covered except for emergencies and urgent care. HMOs tend to work well for people whose preferred doctors are already in one network and who don't travel outside California for routine care.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Same HMO backbone — network, primary care doctor, referrals — but with a limited ability to go out of network for certain services. The specifics (which services, at what share of cost) are set by each plan, so check the Evidence of Coverage.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who accepts the plan. In-network care usually costs less; out-of-network care is generally still covered, but at a higher share. Referrals are typically not required. PPOs can be a fit for people who split time between cities or want more flexibility on specialists.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). PFFS plans let members see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to the plan's payment terms. They are not offered in Los Angeles County for 2027.

Which type is "right" depends on your own doctors, your prescriptions, how often you travel, and what trade-offs you're comfortable with. There's no plan type that is cheaper or better across the board.

Which carriers offer each type in Los Angeles County for 2027

Carriers with HMO plans (2027): Aetna (CVS Health), AHF, Align Senior Care, Alignment Health Plan, Astiva Health, Blue Shield of California, Centene (WellCare), Champion Heath Plan, Clever Care Health Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Elite Health Plan, Inc., Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, L.A. Care Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of California, SCAN Health Plan, UCLA Health Medicare Advantage Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.

Carriers with HMO-POS plans (2027): Aetna (CVS Health), Champion Heath Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), UnitedHealthcare, and VillageHealth.

Carriers with PPO plans (2027): Alignment Health Plan and Humana.

A few patterns stand out. The HMO list is long — most national and California-based carriers in the county offer at least one HMO. The HMO-POS lane is narrower. And the PPO lane is the narrowest of all: just two carriers offer PPO plans in Los Angeles County for 2027.

What's changing year to year

The 2027 Los Angeles County lineup isn't identical to 2026's. CMS data show 23 plans not returning, 26 new plans, and 23 renamed plans. If you're already enrolled, your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), mailed in September, spells out what's different for your specific plan — including any shifts in network, drug list or cost sharing. If you do nothing, your current plan renews on January 1, 2027, with those changes built in, provided it's still offered.

Program-wide, two Part D figures are confirmed for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and the IRMAA income brackets have not been published yet; CMS typically releases them in the fall.

How to pick between types without guessing

A few plain questions tend to settle the HMO-vs.-PPO decision faster than a benefits chart:

• Are your current doctors in the plan's network? Call the office and ask by plan name, not just by carrier.
• Do you want the plan to coordinate specialist care through a primary care doctor, or do you want to self-refer?
• Do you spend meaningful time outside California? If yes, out-of-network rules matter more.
• Are your prescriptions on the plan's formulary at a tier you can afford?

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code, doctors and medications and see each plan's specifics side by side. That's where the real comparison happens — not in the plan-type label alone.

Where to get personalized answers

For plan-specific details — networks, drug lists, costs and star ratings — use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or read the plan's Evidence of Coverage and provider directory directly. The Annual Enrollment Period closes December 7, 2026.