Medicare Advantage

Did Your San Francisco Advantage Plan Send That Letter?

For 2027, San Francisco is looking at 46 Medicare Advantage plans: 7 new, 12 gone since 2026, and 35 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 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.

San Francisco — fall 2026. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan in San Francisco, check your mail. Twelve Medicare Advantage plans sold in San Francisco County this year will not be offered in 2027, according to CMS's Medicare Advantage Landscape files for the current and coming plan years. If one of them is yours, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal letter this fall, and you have options — and some extra time — to pick what comes next.

The plans not returning in San Francisco County for 2027

San Francisco is in San Francisco County, where Medicare plan availability is set. CMS's year-over-year Landscape files show 12 Medicare Advantage plans offered in 2026 are not being offered in 2027. In alphabetical order by carrier, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health): Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO); Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO); Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)
• Align Senior Care: Advantage Care (HMO)
• Alignment Health Plan: Alignment Health Honor+ Plan (HMO)
• Central Health Medicare Plan: Central Health Classic Care Plan IV (HMO); Central Health Dual Access Plan (HMO D-SNP); Central Health Embrace Care Plan (HMO C-SNP); Central Health Embrace Choice Plan (HMO C-SNP); Central Health Valor Care Plan (HMO)
• SCAN Health Plan: SCAN Affirm partnered with Included LGBTQ+ Health (HMO); SCAN MyChoice (HMO)

A plan not being on this list does not mean it is unchanged — some plans are renamed or have benefit changes for 2027. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), mailed in September, has those specifics.

How to tell if your plan is one of them

When a Medicare Advantage plan leaves an area, the carrier is required to send members a non-renewal letter — sometimes called a "plan termination" or "non-renewal" notice. It usually arrives in early October and will say, in plain language, that the plan will not be offered in 2027 and that your coverage ends December 31, 2026.

If you got that letter, your plan is on the list above. If you got an ANOC instead — a thicker booklet comparing this year's benefits to next year's — your plan is continuing, just with changes.

If you are not sure which you received, call the member services number on your plan ID card, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.

What happens if you do nothing

If your plan is ending and you make no change, you will not be left without any Medicare. On January 1, 2027, you will be enrolled in Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) automatically.

Two things to know about that:

• Original Medicare does not include prescription drug coverage. To have Part D in 2027, you need to actively enroll in either a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.
• Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket cap on Part A and B costs. Many people pair it with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy to help with that.

Doing nothing is a valid choice, but it is a choice — not a pause.

Your choices for 2027

You generally have three paths:

1. Pick another Medicare Advantage plan. For 2027, San Francisco County has 46 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers. The table below lists every plan available for the coming year. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare them against your doctors, pharmacies and medications. 2. Stay with Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan. You can shop Part D plans on medicare.gov too. 3. Stay with Original Medicare, add Part D, and add a Medigap policy. When your Medicare Advantage plan is non-renewed, federal rules give you a guaranteed-issue right to buy certain Medigap plans without medical underwriting, within a set window. California has its own Medigap rules on top of the federal ones; the California Department of Insurance can explain how they apply to you.

The Special Enrollment Period you get

Members of a non-renewed Medicare Advantage plan qualify for a Special Enrollment Period that runs from December 8, 2026 through the end of February 2027. During that window you can:

• Join a different Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), or
• Return to Original Medicare and join a stand-alone Part D plan.

You do not have to wait for that window. The Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7, 2026) is open to everyone, so you can line up your 2027 coverage now and have it take effect January 1.

A few 2027 program-level numbers worth knowing while you compare drug coverage: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS publishes the 2027 Part B premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, later in the fall.