Medicare Advantage

The Medicare Advantage plans new to St. Petersburg for 2027: how to check one before you switch

Pinellas County has 118 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 29 plans are not coming back, 18 are new, and 47 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 17 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for St. Petersburg, not which plan to pick.

St. Petersburg, Fla. — When Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, people shopping in Pinellas County will see something they could not pick a year ago: 18 Medicare Advantage plans that are brand-new for 2027. They sit alongside plans that are renewing, plans that have been renamed, and plans that will not come back next year. If one of the new ones catches your eye, there is a smart way to look it over before the Dec. 7, 2026 deadline.

What is new about Medicare Advantage in St. Petersburg for 2027?

St. Petersburg sits in Pinellas County, and CMS's 2027 Landscape data shows 18 Medicare Advantage plans in the county that were not sold for 2026. They come from 13 carriers and include HMOs, HMO-POS plans and PPOs, with a mix of general plans and Special Needs Plans (SNPs).

The full table on this page lists every one with its plan type and whether it includes drug coverage. In alphabetical order by carrier, the new-for-2027 plans are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — Aetna Medicare Partial Dual Select (HMO D-SNP), with drug coverage
• Align Senior Care — Premier Care (HMO I-SNP) and Senior Care (HMO I-SNP), both with drug coverage
• Centene (WellCare) — Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Access (HMO-POS D-SNP) and Wellcare Sunshine Health Dual Align (HMO D-SNP), both with drug coverage
• Devoted Health — DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 115 FL (HMO), with drug coverage
• Florida Blue — BlueMedicare Patriot Plus (PPO), without drug coverage
• Florida Blue HMO — BlueMedicare Premier Plus (HMO), with drug coverage
• Florida Complete Care — Florida Complete Care-Duals VIP (HMO-POS D-SNP), with drug coverage
• Gold Kidney Health Plan — Gold Dialysis Premier (HMO-POS C-SNP) and Gold Heart & Diabetes Plus (HMO-POS C-SNP), both with drug coverage
• Humana — Humana Dual Integrated (PPO D-SNP) and Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO), both with drug coverage
• SECUR Health Plan — SECUR CarePath (HMO C-SNP), with drug coverage
• Solis Health Plans — Solis Wellness Plan (HMO C-SNP), with drug coverage
• Ultimate Health Plans — Advantage Care COPD by Ultimate (HMO C-SNP), with drug coverage
• UnitedHealthcare — AARP Medicare Advantage Giveback from UHC FL-40 (HMO-POS) and UHC Dual Complete FL-Y5 (HMO-POS D-SNP), both with drug coverage

Which of St. Petersburg's new 2027 plans are Special Needs Plans?

Most of the new-for-2027 plans in Pinellas County are SNPs — plans built for people with a specific situation. There are three kinds:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible) — for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition) — for people with certain long-term conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD or kidney disease.
• I-SNP (Institutional) — for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care at home.

If you do not qualify for the SNP a plan is built around, you cannot enroll in it. The table on this page marks each plan's type so you can see which ones apply to you.

How is a brand-new plan different from a renewing one?

A new plan looks the same as any other on the Medicare Plan Finder, but there is one difference worth knowing: because CMS Star Ratings are based on past performance, a plan that is being sold for the first time will not have its own Star Rating yet. That is a program rule, not a signal that the plan is better or worse than any other. Over time, as claims and member surveys come in, a rating will build.

A renewing plan, by contrast, carries a track record — including a Star Rating and the exact benefit, cost and network details that were in place last year. If you are already in a renewing plan and do nothing by Dec. 7, 2026, that plan will simply continue into 2027 with any changes spelled out in its Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), which arrives by late September.

How do I check a new plan against my doctors and prescriptions before Dec. 7?

The fastest way is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A few things to pull together before you start:

1. Your prescription list. Enter each drug with its dose and how often you take it. The Plan Finder will show how each plan treats that drug, including whether it is covered, which tier it is on, and whether there are rules like prior authorization. 2. Your doctors, specialists and hospitals. For an HMO or HMO-POS, in-network matters a lot. Check the plan's online provider directory, and also call your doctor's office — directories can lag behind real-world contracts. 3. Your preferred pharmacy. Costs for the same drug can differ between a plan's preferred and standard pharmacies. 4. Any program-level 2027 numbers that will affect you. CMS has confirmed the Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible will be $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B premium and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet; CMS usually publishes them in November.

If a plan looks right on paper, read its Evidence of Coverage and Summary of Benefits straight from the plan itself before enrolling.

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

Nothing bad. If your current Medicare Advantage plan is being offered again for 2027, you stay in it automatically. The ANOC your plan mailed you lists what is changing — premium, drug formulary, copays, provider network, extra benefits — and that is what will apply starting Jan. 1, 2027.

If your current plan is not being offered next year, your plan sends a non-renewal notice, and you have a Special Enrollment Period to pick another plan or return to Original Medicare. In Pinellas County, 29 plans are not returning for 2027, 18 are new, and 17 are being renamed, so it is worth opening any mail from your plan this fall.