Medicare Advantage

How 26 Honolulu Medicare Advantage Plans Sort Out

Honolulu County has 29 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 4 plans are not coming back, 5 are new, and 13 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 3 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Honolulu, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageHonolulu, HI

HONOLULU — If you are shopping for Medicare Advantage coverage on Oahu this fall, the first thing to sort out isn't a specific plan. It's the shape of the market: which insurers sell here, and what kind of plans they offer. Honolulu is in Honolulu County, where CMS lists seven carriers offering Medicare Advantage for 2027, spanning HMOs, an HMO-POS plan, PPOs and several Special Needs Plans built for specific groups.

Understanding those categories first makes the rest of the search a lot easier.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in Honolulu County for 2027

CMS's 2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape file lists seven carriers offering plans in Honolulu County. In alphabetical order, they are AlohaCare, Devoted Health, HMSA Akamai Advantage, HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare. Centene (WellCare), which offered plans in the county for 2026, is not returning for 2027.

The number of plans each carrier offers varies:

• AlohaCare: 2 plans
• Centene (WellCare): 1 plan
• Devoted Health: 7 plans
• HMSA Akamai Advantage: 2 plans
• HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care: 1 plan
• Humana: 6 plans
• Kaiser Permanente: 3 plans
• UnitedHealthcare: 6 plans

A bigger plan count from one carrier doesn't mean a better fit — it usually means the insurer is offering several versions (for example, one with and one without drug coverage, or one built for people who also qualify for Medicaid). The table below lists every plan offered in the county.

HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS: what the plan type actually means

Medicare Advantage plans in Honolulu County come in a few structural flavors. The differences matter because they change how you get care day to day.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally use doctors and hospitals inside the plan's network, and you often need a referral from a primary care doctor to see a specialist. Nine of the county's 28 plans are HMOs. Carriers offering HMO plans here include AlohaCare, Devoted Health, Humana and Kaiser Permanente.

HMO-POS (Point of Service). This is an HMO with a limited option to go outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. One plan in the county is structured this way, from Centene (WellCare).

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). PPOs let you see any Medicare-accepting provider, but you generally pay less when you stay in-network, and referrals typically aren't required. Eighteen of the 28 plans in Honolulu County are PPOs. Carriers with PPO options here include Devoted Health, HMSA Akamai Advantage, HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). No PFFS plans are offered in Honolulu County for 2027. Where they exist, PFFS plans set their own payment terms with providers; you can see any provider who agrees to the plan's terms.

Special Needs Plans: who they're for

A Special Needs Plan, or SNP, is a Medicare Advantage plan built for people who meet specific eligibility rules. Honolulu County has 8 SNPs among its 28 plans. The three SNP categories at the program level are:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible): for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition): for people with a qualifying chronic condition, such as diabetes or heart failure.
• I-SNP (Institutional): for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care.

If you don't meet a SNP's eligibility rules, you can't enroll in it — even if the plan appears in your search results. In Honolulu County, D-SNPs are offered by AlohaCare, HMSA Akamai Advantage Dual Care, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare; Devoted Health offers a C-SNP. No I-SNPs appear in the county's 2027 lineup.

Drug coverage is bundled into every plan here

All 26 Medicare Advantage plans in Honolulu County include Part D prescription drug coverage. That's worth noting because if you enroll in one of these MA plans, your drug coverage comes with it.

A few Part D program facts for 2027 that apply no matter which plan you pick:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• If you'd rather pay drug costs monthly instead of at the pharmacy counter, ask about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.
• IRMAA surcharges, which add to Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income enrollees, begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

Dates to keep on the calendar

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for coverage starting Jan. 1.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in an MA plan, you can make one change — switch to another MA plan, or drop back to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone Part D plan.

Outside these windows, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period to make a change.

How to narrow the list

With 28 plans across eight carriers, the practical order of operations looks something like this:

1. Decide whether you want an HMO-style plan (tighter network, often simpler) or a PPO-style plan (more flexibility to go out of network). 2. Check whether you qualify for a Special Needs Plan — especially if you have Medicaid or a qualifying chronic condition. 3. Confirm that your doctors, hospitals and pharmacies are in the plan's network. 4. Compare how each plan covers the specific drugs you take. 5. Look at total expected costs, not just the monthly premium.

For personalized help, Hawaii SHIP counselors provide free, unbiased Medicare counseling. You can also compare every plan side by side on medicare.gov's Plan Finder or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.