Medicare Advantage

Before you renew in Santa Ana: a 6-step way to size up 2027 Medicare Advantage plans

Orange County has 111 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 21 plans are not coming back, 28 are new, and 51 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 19 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Santa Ana, not which plan to pick.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Fall 2026 is decision season for anyone on Medicare here. The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, and any change you make now takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Do nothing and your current plan simply renews next year — but with whatever changes are spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC).

Santa Ana is in Orange County, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup looks a little different than it did this year. Before you keep or switch a plan, it helps to have a steady way to compare them. Here is a plain-English guide to what is on offer and how to work through it.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Santa Ana for 2027?

Santa Ana is in Orange County, where 111 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers are available for 2027, according to the CMS Landscape Source File. Of those, 84 are HMO plans, 23 are HMO-POS, and 4 are PPO. Most — 106 of 111 — include Part D drug coverage.

Compared with 2026, there are 28 new plans in the county and 21 that are not returning. If your current plan is one that is leaving, your insurer will send a non-renewal notice; you then have through Dec. 7 to pick a new plan, with a Special Enrollment Period extending into early 2027 if needed.

The table below lists every plan available in the county for 2027 by carrier.

What Special Needs Plans are available in Orange County in 2027?

Orange County has 49 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for 2027: 3 Dual Eligible (D-SNP), 41 Chronic Condition (C-SNP), and 5 Institutional (I-SNP). SNPs are Medicare Advantage plans built around a specific group of people.

• D-SNPs are for people with both Medicare and Medi-Cal.
• C-SNPs are for people with certain long-term conditions, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or chronic lung disorders.
• I-SNPs are for people who live in a nursing facility or need that level of care at home.

If you qualify, a SNP may line up better with your care team and prescriptions than a general plan. Carriers offering SNPs in the county for 2027 include Alignment Health Plan, CalOptima Health OneCare, Centene (WellCare), Kaiser Permanente, and others shown in the table below.

Which carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans in Santa Ana for 2027?

Sixteen carriers sell Medicare Advantage plans in Orange County for 2027. In alphabetical order, with the number of plans each one offers:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 6
• Align Senior Care: 3
• Alignment Health Plan: 19
• Astiva Health: 5
• Blue Shield of California: 5
• CalOptima Health OneCare: 1
• Centene (WellCare): 5
• Champion Heath Plan: 10
• Clever Care Health Plan: 6
• Elevance Health (Anthem): 12
• Humana: 8
• Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc.: 4
• Kaiser Permanente: 3
• SCAN Health Plan: 14
• UnitedHealthcare: 8
• VillageHealth: 2

VillageHealth is new to the county's lineup for 2027. Plan counts and types come from the CMS Landscape Source File.

How do I compare 2027 Medicare Advantage plans step by step?

Start with what you already have, then test any plan you are considering against the five things that matter most: doctors, hospitals, drugs, pharmacies and total cost. Here is a six-step order that works for most people.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current plan mailed this in September. It shows what is changing in 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits, and whether your plan is being renamed, consolidated or discontinued. CMS confirms 19 plans in the county are renamed for 2027, so a different name on the envelope does not always mean a different plan.

2. List your must-keeps. Write down the doctors and hospitals you want in network, the prescriptions you take (with dose and how often), and the pharmacies you prefer. If you travel often, note that too — HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans handle out-of-area care differently.

3. Check doctors and hospitals. On the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, open any plan and look at its provider directory, or call the plan directly. Confirm each provider is in network for the exact 2027 plan name you are considering. Networks can change year to year.

4. Check your prescriptions. Enter every drug into the Plan Finder. It will show whether each one is covered, which tier it sits on, and the estimated full-year cost at your pharmacy. For 2027, every Part D plan caps what you pay out of pocket for covered drugs at $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026).

5. Check your pharmacy. The same drug can cost less at a plan's preferred pharmacy than at a standard one. If mail order fits your routine, price that too.

6. Add up the whole year. Look past the monthly premium at the full picture: deductible, copays for visits you actually use, drug costs, and any extras you will use (dental, vision, hearing, OTC, transportation, fitness). The Plan Finder totals this for you based on the drugs and pharmacies you entered.

What is new in Medicare for 2027?

Two Part D figures are confirmed for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 and the maximum deductible rises to $700. The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input CMS uses, not what any specific plan charges.

CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. Those usually come out in November. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is still available if you want to spread your Part D out-of-pocket costs across the year in monthly amounts instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

What happens if I do nothing by Dec. 7?

Nothing dramatic — your current plan renews on Jan. 1, 2027, with whatever changes are listed in its ANOC, as long as the plan is still offered. If your plan is one of the 21 not returning in Orange County, your insurer will send a notice and you have until Dec. 7 to choose a new plan during AEP, with additional time available through a Special Enrollment Period.

You also have a second window: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2027. During that time, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or go back to Original Medicare (with or without a stand-alone Part D plan).