Medicare Advantage

Which 2027 Medicare Advantage plan fits your doctors?

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, Calif. — Fall 2026 is decision season for Medicare. From Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026, people on Medicare can change their Medicare Advantage plan for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2027. If you do nothing, your current plan rolls over into next year — with whatever changes are spelled out in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your insurer mailed in late September.

The Advantage menu in San Joaquin County, which includes Stockton, is a little smaller next year, with some plans leaving, some new ones arriving, and others renamed. That makes a side-by-side look worth the time, even if you plan to stay put.

How many Medicare Advantage plans will Stockton have in 2027?

Stockton is in San Joaquin County, where 39 Medicare Advantage plans from 11 carriers are offered for 2027. By plan type, that breaks down to 31 HMOs, 2 HMO-POS plans and 6 PPOs. Of those, 37 include Part D drug coverage built in.

That is a modest drop from 2026. Nine plans are new to the county for 2027 and 14 are not returning; some plan names have also changed, so a plan you remember may show up on your renewal paperwork under a new label.

The table below lists every 2027 plan by carrier. The 11 carriers offering plans next year 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.

What Special Needs Plans are available in San Joaquin County for 2027?

San Joaquin County has 17 Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for 2027: 5 Dual-Eligible SNPs (D-SNPs) for people who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal, and 12 Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs) for people with qualifying long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. There are no Institutional SNPs in the county next year.

SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan with eligibility rules, so not everyone can enroll. If you think one might fit, confirm you qualify with the plan or with 1-800-MEDICARE before switching.

What is new for Stockton Medicare Advantage in 2027?

The biggest 2027 change is the Part D drug benefit, not the Advantage lineup itself. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). Those limits apply to the drug portion of your Medicare Advantage plan too.

Locally, 9 plans are new to the county, 14 are not returning, and 11 have been renamed. CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets; those are typically published later in the fall.

How should I compare Medicare Advantage plans in Stockton step by step?

Work through the same five checks for each plan you are considering. The point is not to find the "best" plan — it is to find the plan that fits your doctors, your drugs and your budget.

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Your current insurer sent this by late September. It lists what is changing in your plan for 2027: premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits and network. If you only do one thing, do this. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Call each provider's billing office and ask whether they will be in-network for the specific plan name in 2027. Networks can change year to year even if the plan name does not. In Stockton, that means confirming groups like your primary care clinic, San Joaquin General, Dameron, St. Joseph's or Kaiser facilities, depending on which plan you are weighing. 3. Enter your prescriptions into the Medicare Plan Finder. At medicare.gov/plan-compare, type in each drug and dose. The Plan Finder will show your estimated yearly cost under each plan's 2027 formulary — the single most useful cost comparison you can make. 4. Check your pharmacy. The same tool lets you add your pharmacy. Many plans have "preferred" pharmacies where your copays are lower; make sure the pharmacy you actually use is on the plan's preferred list. 5. Match the plan type to how you use care. HMOs usually require referrals and in-network care; HMO-POS plans allow some out-of-network use; PPOs give you more freedom but often cost more out of pocket. Neither is "better" — it depends on how you like to get care.

If you want help, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24/7, or use the chat on medicare.gov.

What happens if I do nothing by Dec. 7, 2026?

Nothing dramatic. If your 2026 plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay enrolled in it with the changes described in your ANOC. If your plan is one of the 14 not returning in San Joaquin County, your insurer will send a non-renewal notice, and you'll have a Special Enrollment Period to pick a new plan.

You also get a second window after AEP: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027. During that window, if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different Advantage plan or go back to Original Medicare one time.