Medicare Advantage

Kaiser Permanente's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup in Honolulu: three plans, one new look at the list

Honolulu, fall 2026 — As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026, Kaiser Permanente is offering three Medicare Advantage plans to people on Oahu for the 2027 plan year. All three are HMOs, all three include drug coverage, and one is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. This article walks through what Kaiser is offering in Honolulu County next year, what is changing from 2026, and how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before the December 7 deadline.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer news site. We are not Kaiser Permanente, and we are not Medicare.

What Medicare Advantage plans does Kaiser Permanente offer in Honolulu for 2027?

Kaiser Permanente is offering three Medicare Advantage plans in Honolulu County for the 2027 plan year. All three are HMOs that include Part D prescription drug coverage, and one of the three is a Special Needs Plan.

In alphabetical order, the plans are:

• Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete Oahu (HMO D-SNP)
• Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Basic (HMO)
• Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Enhanced (HMO)

The table on this page lists each plan with its type and drug coverage. We are not naming premiums, copays, benefits, provider networks or star ratings here — those details are plan-specific, they can change year to year, and the official source is each plan's own 2027 documents on medicare.gov.

Honolulu is in Honolulu County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. Everything in this article refers to the county.

What is new or not returning from Kaiser Permanente in Honolulu County for 2027?

For Honolulu County in 2027, Kaiser Permanente is not adding any new Medicare Advantage plans, is not discontinuing any plans, and has not renamed any plans. The same three plans offered in 2026 are returning for 2027.

That does not mean nothing is changing inside the plans. Every renewing Medicare Advantage plan sends members an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in the fall. The ANOC spells out next year's premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers and any benefit updates. If you are already in a Kaiser Permanente plan on Oahu, the ANOC is the single most important document to read before December 7, because it tells you what your current plan will look like on January 1, 2027.

What is a D-SNP, and who is the Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete Oahu plan for?

A D-SNP, or Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, is a Medicare Advantage plan limited to people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. In Hawaii, Medicaid is called Med-QUEST. If you do not qualify for Medicaid, you cannot enroll in a D-SNP, even if you live in the service area.

Of Kaiser Permanente's three Honolulu County plans for 2027, one — Kaiser Permanente Dual Complete Oahu (HMO D-SNP) — is a D-SNP. The other two are standard HMOs open to anyone on Medicare in the service area who meets general enrollment rules. To find out whether you qualify for Medicaid in Hawaii, contact Med-QUEST directly.

How do I check a Kaiser Permanente plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

The fastest way to check any 2027 Medicare Advantage plan against your own doctors and prescriptions is the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE, which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here is a simple routine that works for any plan, not just Kaiser's:

1. Make a list of your doctors and other providers you want to keep, including the clinic or hospital system each one bills under. 2. Make a list of every prescription you take, with the dose and how often you fill it. 3. On medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code, enter your drugs, and open each plan you are considering. The Plan Finder will show the estimated yearly drug cost at that plan's preferred pharmacies. 4. For doctors, check the plan's own online provider directory, or call the plan's member services number listed on medicare.gov. Networks change, so confirm for 2027 specifically. 5. If you already take an expensive drug, ask whether it is on the plan's 2027 formulary and at what tier, and whether it requires prior authorization or step therapy.

Do this for every plan you are weighing — Kaiser Permanente's three plans and any plans from other carriers you want to compare. Six other carriers also sell Medicare Advantage plans in Honolulu County, with 29 plans in all across the county, so Kaiser is one option among many.

What 2027 Medicare numbers are already set, and which are still coming?

A few 2027 figures are confirmed by CMS. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — this is a formula input used in Medicare's calculations, not the premium any specific plan charges.

A few numbers are not yet published. The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges, are usually announced by CMS later in the fall. We will update coverage once they are posted.

Also worth remembering: the coverage gap, or "donut hole," was eliminated starting in 2025, so Part D now has three phases instead of four. If prescription costs are a strain, ask your plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.

What happens if I do nothing before December 7?

If you take no action by December 7, 2026, and your current plan is being offered again in 2027, you stay in it. Your plan simply renews on January 1, 2027, with whatever changes are described in your Annual Notice of Change. Nobody gets dropped from Medicare for not making a selection.

If you decide after January 1 that your Medicare Advantage plan is not the right fit, there is a second window: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 – March 31, 2027. During that period, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare once.