Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a Medicare Advantage plan in Stockton: how HMO, PPO and SNP options differ

For 2027, Stockton is looking at 39 Medicare Advantage plans: 9 new, 14 gone since 2026, and 30 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 11 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in San Joaquin County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Stockton sits in San Joaquin County, where Medicare shoppers age 65 and up have a menu of Medicare Advantage plans to sort through for 2027 — and the differences that matter most are not the logos on the mailers, but the plan types behind them. HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and Special Needs Plans each work in a distinct way, and knowing how they differ makes the local roster much easier to read.

This guide walks through who sells Medicare Advantage in the Stockton area, how many plans each carrier offers, and what the letters after each plan name actually mean.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in the Stockton area

For plan year 2027, CMS lists 11 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in San Joaquin County. In alphabetical order, they are Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Blue Shield of California, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Health Plan of San Joaquin / Mountain Valley Health Plan, Humana, Imperial Health Plan of California, Kaiser Permanente, SCAN Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. Central Health Medicare Plan, which offered plans in the county for 2026, is not returning for 2027.

The number of plans each carrier offers varies quite a bit. Alignment Health Plan lists 12 plans in the county. Central Health, Humana and SCAN each list 5. Elevance Health (Anthem) and Imperial each list 3. Aetna, Blue Shield of California and Centene (WellCare) each list 2. Kaiser Permanente lists 3. UnitedHealthcare and the Health Plan of San Joaquin / Mountain Valley Health Plan D-SNP each list 1. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

That adds up to 44 Medicare Advantage plans, and every one of them includes Part D drug coverage.

What the plan type after each name means

Every plan name ends with letters in parentheses — HMO, HMO-POS, PPO — and those letters describe how the plan handles doctors, hospitals and referrals. This is where the biggest practical differences live.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). Most of the Stockton-area menu is HMO: 34 of the 44 plans. An HMO asks you to use its network of doctors and hospitals for routine care, and usually asks you to pick a primary care doctor and get referrals to see specialists. Out-of-network care is generally not covered except in an emergency.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). There are 4 HMO-POS plans in the county. This is an HMO that lets you go outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher share of the cost. It is a middle ground between a strict HMO and a PPO.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). There are 6 PPO plans in the county. A PPO lets you see any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare and the plan's terms, in or out of network. In-network costs are lower, but you keep the freedom to go elsewhere without a referral.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). PFFS plans are a fourth Medicare Advantage type nationally. They pay providers on a fee-for-service basis, and any provider who accepts the plan's payment terms can treat you. No PFFS plans appear on the 2027 San Joaquin County roster, but it helps to know the category exists if you compare across regions.

Special Needs Plans: a category of their own

Of the 44 Medicare Advantage plans in San Joaquin County, 19 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are a special kind of Medicare Advantage plan designed for people who meet specific criteria, with benefits, provider choices and drug formularies tailored to that group. You have to qualify to enroll.

There are three flavors nationally:

• D-SNPs (Dual-Eligible SNPs) are for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid (in California, Medi-Cal). Locally, you will see D-SNPs from Alignment Health, Centene (WellCare), Central Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Health Plan of San Joaquin / Mountain Valley Health Plan, Humana and Kaiser Permanente.
• C-SNPs (Chronic Condition SNPs) are for people living with a qualifying chronic condition such as diabetes, heart failure or end-stage renal disease. Locally, C-SNPs are offered by Alignment Health, Central Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Imperial, SCAN and UnitedHealthcare, focused on conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, kidney care, or broader chronic care.
• I-SNPs (Institutional SNPs) are for people who live in a nursing facility or need that level of care at home. None appear on the 2027 San Joaquin County roster.

If you don't meet the eligibility rules for an SNP, you'd choose from the general HMO, HMO-POS or PPO plans.

How to use the list without getting overwhelmed

A useful order of operations:

1. Decide the plan type that fits your life — HMO if you're comfortable staying in a network, HMO-POS or PPO if you want more flexibility. 2. Check whether you qualify for a Special Needs Plan (dual Medicare–Medi-Cal, a qualifying chronic condition, or nursing-facility care). 3. Then compare specific plans on medicare.gov's Plan Finder, where you can enter your ZIP code, your prescriptions and your preferred doctors to see costs, coverage rules and each plan's star rating side by side.

A few 2026 program-level facts worth keeping in mind while you compare: the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100, the Part D deductible can be no higher than $615, the old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025, and the optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs over the year. Higher-income enrollees (above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026) also pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D.

Key dates

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Any Medicare Advantage or Part D changes you make during that window take effect Jan. 1.

If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 through March 31. You can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan) once during that window.