Medicare Advantage

Oakland's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: a step-by-step way to compare before Dec. 7

For 2027, Oakland is looking at 32 Medicare Advantage plans: 5 new, 10 gone since 2026, and 27 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 10 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Alameda County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Oakland, Calif. — Fall 2026 is decision season for Medicare. From Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, people on Medicare can switch, join or drop a Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 coverage that starts Jan. 1. If you do nothing, your current plan rolls into next year with whatever changes it has made — which is why reading the mail that lands this month matters.

Oakland is in Alameda County, where CMS lists 32 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers for 2027, down from 37 plans and 12 carriers in 2026. Five plans are new for 2027 and 10 are not returning. That is the backdrop for a careful comparison — not a reason to rush.

What is on offer in Alameda County for 2027

The table below lists every 2027 plan available in the county. In short, of the 32 plans, 29 are HMOs and 3 are HMO-POS. All 32 include drug coverage. Special Needs Plans (SNPs) — for people with Medicaid, certain chronic conditions, or who live in an institution — total 16: 2 D-SNPs, 12 C-SNPs and 2 I-SNPs.

Carriers offering plans in the county for 2027 (alphabetical): Aetna (CVS Health), Alameda Alliance for Health, Align Senior Care, Alignment Health Plan, Blue Shield of California, CCHP (Chinese Community Health Plan), Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, SCAN Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.

What is new this year

Compared with 2026, Alameda County has 5 new plans and 10 that will not return. Some plans have also been renamed, which can look like a disappearance in your mailbox even when the coverage continues under a new title. If a plan is leaving, members get a non-renewal notice and a Special Enrollment Period to pick something else. If you got a notice and are unsure what it means, the plan's member services line and 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm.

Program-wide, two 2027 numbers are already set by CMS: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium, deductible, and IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet; CMS typically publishes them in the fall.

A step-by-step way to compare

Think of this as a short checklist you can do in an afternoon.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan mailed this in September. It shows side-by-side what is changing for 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits, and provider or pharmacy network. Start there before you look at anything else.

2. List your doctors and hospitals. Write down the primary care doctor, specialists, and the hospital you want to use. For any plan you are considering, check it against the plan's own provider directory, or call the plan to confirm the provider is in-network for 2027. Networks change year to year.

3. List your prescriptions. Write down each drug, the dose, and how often you fill it. Drug formularies and tiers change every January, so a medication that was cheap in 2026 may land on a different tier in 2027.

4. Note your pharmacy. Plans have "preferred" and "standard" pharmacies, and your cost at the counter can differ a lot between the two. If you use mail order, check that too.

5. Run it through the Medicare Plan Finder. Go to medicare.gov/plan-compare, enter your ZIP code, add your drugs and your pharmacy, and the tool will show every Alameda County plan with estimated yearly costs based on your own list. It will also show star ratings, which measure plan quality — useful context, not a verdict.

6. Decide, then enroll. You can enroll on medicare.gov, through the plan directly, or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7, TTY 1-877-486-2048). The last day to make a change for Jan. 1, 2027 coverage is Dec. 7, 2026.

If you choose a Medicare Advantage plan and later change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027, and lets you switch to another Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare once.

A note on Special Needs Plans

SNPs are not a bonus — they are built for a specific situation. In Alameda County for 2027, there are 2 D-SNPs (for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal), 12 C-SNPs (for people with qualifying chronic conditions such as diabetes or certain heart or lung conditions), and 2 I-SNPs (for people who live in a nursing facility or need that level of care at home). You have to meet the eligibility rule to enroll, and the plan can disenroll you if you no longer qualify.