Medicare Advantage

Every Medicare Advantage plan sold in San Jose for 2027, by carrier

People in San Jose can choose from 36 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 46 this year. 15 of this year’s plans are gone, 5 are new to Santa Clara County, and 31 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 13 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantageSan Jose, CA

San Jose shoppers looking at Medicare Advantage for 2027 have a list to sort through. San Jose sits in Santa Clara County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows 23 Medicare Advantage plans available for the 2027 plan year, offered by 10 carriers. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage.

This article walks through what is on the shelf, carrier by carrier, so you can see the shape of the market before you dig into details. The table below lists every plan by name, its plan type (HMO, HMO-POS or PPO), and whether it includes drug coverage. Costs, benefits, networks and star ratings live on the Medicare Plan Finder and in each plan's own documents — not here.

What is on the shelf in Santa Clara County

Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, so every plan listed for Santa Clara County is available to someone living in San Jose (subject to the plan's own service area and eligibility rules).

For 2027, the county's 23 MA plans break down like this:

• 38 HMO plans
• 5 HMO-POS plans
• 3 PPO plans
• 20 of the 46 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs)
• 46 of 46 include Part D drug coverage

There are no stand-alone Part D drug plans listed for the county in this dataset, because Medicare Advantage members here get drug coverage bundled into their MA plan.

The 12 carriers offering plans

In alphabetical order, the carriers with Medicare Advantage plans in Santa Clara County for 2027 are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 4 plans (HMO-POS, PPO)
• Align Senior Care — 3 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• Alignment Health Plan — 14 plans (HMO, PPO; 7 Special Needs)
• Astiva Health — 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Blue Shield of California — 1 plan (HMO)
• Central Health Medicare Plan — 5 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 3 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 1 Special Needs)
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. — 3 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Kaiser Permanente — 4 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• Santa Clara Family Health Plan — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• SCAN Health Plan — 4 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare — 1 plan (HMO-POS)

The full plan-by-plan list — every plan name, its type, and its drug coverage status — is in the table below.

How to read the plan types

The plan type on the roster tells you a lot about how the plan works day to day.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor and generally use the plan's network. Referrals may be needed for specialists.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). Like an HMO, but with a "point of service" option to see some out-of-network providers under certain rules.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher share of the cost.
• SNP (Special Needs Plan). Only for people who meet the plan's eligibility — for example, dual Medicare and Medicaid enrollment (D-SNP), a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease (C-SNP), or living in an institution (I-SNP).

Santa Clara County's 2027 roster includes D-SNP, C-SNP and I-SNP options across several carriers. If you are dual-eligible or manage a qualifying chronic condition, a Special Needs Plan may be worth a closer look — but eligibility is specific, and Plan Finder or a plan representative can confirm whether you qualify.

Drug coverage and the 2027 rules that apply to everyone

Every 2027 MA plan on this list includes Part D prescription drug coverage. A few program-level facts apply no matter which plan you compare:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you reach it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027) (plans can charge less).
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") has been eliminated as of 2025 — there are now three payment phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA (income-related) surcharges for Part B and Part D begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

How to decide

A few practical steps that keep the choice manageable:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Check whether they are in-network for the plans you are considering. Networks are the single biggest reason people switch later. 2. List your prescriptions. On medicare.gov's Plan Finder, enter your drugs and preferred pharmacy — the tool will show each plan's estimated yearly drug cost. 3. Decide how much flexibility you want. HMOs typically ask you to stay in-network; PPOs give you more room to roam at a cost. 4. If you qualify for a Special Needs Plan, ask about it. SNPs are designed around specific groups and may coordinate care differently. 5. Mark the calendar. The Annual Enrollment Period is October 15 through December 7. If you are already in an MA plan on January 1, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 through March 31, to make one change.