Medicare Advantage

Aetna's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Riverside: one new, four renamed, plan by plan

Riverside, Calif. — As the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage opens Oct. 15, 2026 and runs through Dec. 7, 2026, Aetna's Medicare Advantage lineup in Riverside County is shifting in a few ways worth a close look. The carrier is adding one new plan, keeping its other offerings, and renaming several — changes that will show up in each member's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) this fall.

This article walks through what Aetna (CVS Health) is offering in Riverside County for 2027, by plan type and drug coverage, and shows you how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before the Dec. 7 deadline. MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site; we are not Aetna, and 17 other carriers also offer Medicare Advantage plans in Riverside County for 2027.

What Medicare Advantage plans is Aetna offering in Riverside for 2027?

Aetna (CVS Health) is offering 7 Medicare Advantage plans in Riverside County for 2027: 4 HMOs and 3 HMO-POS plans. All 7 include prescription drug coverage.

That is one more plan than Aetna offered in the county for 2026. The full roster, in alphabetical order, is in the table below. In prose, the 2027 Aetna plans are:

• Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP)
• Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO)
• Aetna Medicare Prime Extra (HMO)
• Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (HMO)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Legacy (HMO)

Riverside sits in Riverside County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, so these plans are available to eligible residents across the county, not just the city.

What is new or changed in Aetna's 2027 Riverside lineup?

One plan is new, four are renamed, and none are leaving. The new plan is Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP) — a Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan, a type of Medicare Advantage plan designed for people living with certain qualifying chronic conditions.

The renames, according to CMS's year-over-year Landscape files, are:

• Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO) — previously Aetna Medicare Prime (HMO-POS)
• Aetna Medicare Prime Extra (HMO) — previously Aetna Medicare Prime Extra (HMO-POS)
• Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO) — previously Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO-POS)
• Aetna Medicare Signature Legacy (HMO) — previously Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO)

A rename does not necessarily mean the plan works the same way it did last year, and it does not necessarily mean it works differently. The specifics — costs, networks, drug list, extras — are in each plan's 2027 Annual Notice of Change and Evidence of Coverage. If you are already enrolled, those documents arrived (or will arrive) by late September.

Does Aetna offer a Special Needs Plan in Riverside County for 2027?

Yes — for 2027, Aetna is offering 1 Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP) in Riverside County and no Dual-Eligible (D-SNP) or Institutional (I-SNP) plans. The C-SNP is Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), new for 2027.

Special Needs Plans have eligibility rules. A C-SNP is limited to people with specific chronic conditions the plan is designed around; a D-SNP is for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal; an I-SNP is for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care at home. If you think a SNP might fit, call 1-800-MEDICARE or check Medicare.gov to see whether you qualify.

How do I check an Aetna plan against my doctors and prescriptions before Dec. 7?

Use the Plan Finder at Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both let you enter your drugs and preferred pharmacy and show you which plans in your ZIP code cover them.

A short checklist for Riverside residents comparing Aetna plans — or any plan — for 2027:

1. Pull out your current plan's ANOC. It lists what changes on Jan. 1, 2027. 2. List your prescriptions, doses, and preferred pharmacy. 3. List the doctors, specialists, hospitals and clinics you want to keep. 4. On Medicare.gov, run Plan Finder for your ZIP, add your drugs, and review each plan's formulary tier and pharmacy pricing. 5. For doctors and hospitals, check the plan's own provider directory on the carrier's website, or call the plan to confirm — directories can lag. 6. Note the plan type. HMOs generally require you to use in-network providers and get referrals; HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network use under plan rules.

If you do nothing by Dec. 7, 2026, and your current plan is offered again in 2027, you stay in it under the terms of its ANOC.

What 2027 Medicare numbers are already set, and which are not?

CMS has confirmed a few Part D figures for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $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 Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — this is a formula input used across the program, not what any single plan charges.

Not yet announced: the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. CMS typically publishes these in the fall, usually in November. We will update our coverage when they are released; in the meantime, do not rely on projections you may see elsewhere.

What else should Riverside shoppers know about the broader market?

Aetna is one of 18 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in Riverside County for 2027, with 88 Medicare Advantage plans across all carriers county-wide. If an Aetna plan does not fit, there are other options to compare on Medicare.gov.

A few general reminders for the 2027 Annual Enrollment Period:

• The window is Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• If you end up in a Medicare Advantage plan that does not fit, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2027) gives you one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread Part D out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in level monthly payments. It is optional and available through your Part D or MA-PD plan.
• IRMAA (the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D) begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026; the 2027 thresholds will be published by CMS later this fall.