Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a 2026 plan, see the full San Francisco list

For 2027, San Francisco is looking at 33 Medicare Advantage plans: 7 new, 12 gone since 2026, and 22 still here but changed on something in their terms, 13 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in San Francisco County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageSan Francisco, CA

San Francisco residents shopping for a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan have a menu to work through. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File, 12 carriers are offering 33 Medicare Advantage plans in San Francisco County next year, and every one of them includes prescription drug coverage.

Because Medicare plan availability is set at the county level, the same list applies whether you live in the Sunset, the Mission, North Beach or anywhere else in the city. San Francisco is in San Francisco County, where CMS lists 33 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year. The table below shows each one, sorted by carrier, with its plan type and whether it includes Part D drug coverage.

What's in San Francisco County for 2027

The 51 plans available in San Francisco County come from a mix of national names and California-focused carriers. The 13 carriers are Aetna (CVS Health), Align Senior Care, Alignment Health Plan, CCHP (Chinese Community Health Plan), Centene (WellCare), Central Health Medicare Plan, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare.

Alignment Health Plan offers the most plans in the county with 12, followed by SCAN Health Plan with 6, and Aetna and Central Health Medicare Plan with 5 each. San Francisco Health Plan offers 1 plan, Humana and UnitedHealthcare each offer 2, and Align Senior Care, CCHP, Centene, Elevance Health, Imperial Health Plan and Kaiser Permanente each offer 3. The full plan-by-plan list appears in the table on this page.

Understanding the plan types

Medicare Advantage plans in San Francisco County come in three shapes for 2027:

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): 40 of the 51 plans. HMOs generally ask you to use in-network doctors and hospitals and to pick a primary care doctor who coordinates your care.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service): 6 plans. These are HMOs with a limited option to see certain providers out of network, usually at a higher cost.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): 5 plans. PPOs typically let you see out-of-network providers, though you often pay more for that flexibility.

Which type fits you depends on the doctors and hospitals you want to keep using and how much choice you want when you travel. The Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your providers and prescriptions and see which plans include them.

Special Needs Plans are a big share of the list

Of the 51 plans in San Francisco County, 22 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). These are Medicare Advantage plans built for people who meet a specific eligibility rule:

• D-SNPs are for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal (dual eligibles).
• C-SNPs are for people with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart conditions.
• I-SNPs are for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care at home.

You have to qualify to enroll in an SNP. If you are not sure whether you qualify, a counselor at California's SHIP program (called HICAP in this state) can help you check.

Every plan includes drug coverage — but the details vary

All 51 plans in the county are MA-PD, meaning they combine medical and Part D prescription drug coverage in one plan. There are no stand-alone Part D plans in this landscape file for the county, so if you want Advantage-plus-drug coverage in one package, the plans on this page are your options.

A few Part D rules apply in 2027 no matter which plan you pick:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025, replaced by three simpler phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your yearly drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments if you'd like.

Each plan's specific drug list (formulary), tiers and pharmacy network are set by the carrier, so two plans with "drug coverage" can still handle the same medication very differently. Always check your prescriptions in the Plan Finder before you enroll.

How to actually decide

With 51 plans on the table, comparing them one by one gets overwhelming fast. A shorter path:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. If keeping a specific medical group matters, filter to plans that include it. This alone will cut the list quickly. 2. Add your prescriptions. Enter each medication into the Medicare Plan Finder to see which plans cover them and at what tier. 3. Pick the plan type you're comfortable with. HMO, HMO-POS or PPO — each works differently when you need care outside the network. 4. Check if you qualify for an SNP. If you have Medi-Cal, a qualifying chronic condition or need nursing-level care, an SNP may be built for your situation. 5. Look at the total picture. Monthly premium, deductible, copays for the care you actually use, and drug costs together — not just one number.

Star Ratings from CMS are another tool. They measure things like customer service and care quality on a 1-to-5 scale. You can view them on medicare.gov and use them as one input among several when comparing plans.

Key dates for 2027 coverage

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another MA plan or go back to Original Medicare (and add a Part D plan). You can use this window one time.
• Separately, IRMAA surcharges — the extra amount higher-income beneficiaries pay for Part B and Part D — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.