Medicare Advantage

Before December 7, see every Boise MA plan for 2026

For 2027, Boise is looking at 22 Medicare Advantage plans: 4 new, 9 gone since 2026, and 10 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Ada County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Boise, Idaho — If you're sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, it helps to see the field the same way Medicare does: by carrier, by plan type, and by whether the plan includes prescription drug coverage. Boise sits in Ada County, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists 22 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 7 carriers for the 2027 plan year.

The full roster is in the table below on this page. This article walks through what's there, how the plan types differ, and how to use the list to narrow your choices before the December 7 deadline.

What "available in Boise" actually means

Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level, not the city level. Boise is in Ada County, so when we say a plan is "available in Boise," we mean CMS lists it as offered in Ada County for the 2027 plan year. The list comes from the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File, the same public data that feeds the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Two numbers frame the local picture. There are 22 Medicare Advantage plans in Ada County for 2027, and there are 0 stand-alone Part D drug plans listed here. That second number matters: if you want drug coverage and you don't have it from another source (like employer or VA coverage), a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles Part D — an MA-PD — is the route most Boise-area residents will consider.

The seven carriers offering plans in Ada County

Listed alphabetically, the carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in Ada County for 2027 are:

• American Health Advantage of Utah — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• Blue Cross of Idaho — 4 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Humana — 11 plans (HMO, PPO; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• Molina Healthcare of Utah & Idaho — 2 plans (HMO; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• PacificSource Medicare — 2 plans (HMO-POS, PPO)
• Saint Alphonsus Health Plan — 4 plans (HMO, PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare — 8 plans (HMO-POS, PPO; 4 Special Needs Plans)

Every individual plan name, its type, and its drug-coverage status appears in the table below.

How the plan types differ

The 32 plans in Ada County are split across three plan types. Knowing the difference is often the fastest way to shorten your list.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally choose a primary care doctor and stay in the plan's network. Referrals may be required for specialists. Note that Saint Alphonsus Health Plan is not offering plans in Ada County for 2027, while St. Luke's Health Plan is new to the county for 2027.

HMO-POS (Point of Service). An HMO with a limited ability to see some out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost. There are 6 HMO-POS plans in the county, from carriers such as PacificSource Medicare and UnitedHealthcare.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, typically at a higher cost share. There are 15 PPO plans in Ada County, offered by Blue Cross of Idaho, Humana, PacificSource Medicare, Saint Alphonsus Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) in the mix

Nine of the 32 plans in Ada County are Special Needs Plans, which are restricted to people who meet specific eligibility rules. There are three flavors on the local roster:

• D-SNP (Dual-Eligible SNP) — for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. Molina and UnitedHealthcare offer D-SNPs on the Ada County roster.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition SNP) — for people with certain chronic conditions. Humana and UnitedHealthcare each list C-SNPs in the county.
• I-SNP (Institutional SNP) — for people who live in, or need the level of care of, a long-term care facility. American Health Advantage of Idaho appears on the roster as an I-SNP.

If you don't meet the eligibility rules for a SNP, you can't enroll in it — so those 9 plans effectively narrow the field further for most shoppers.

Drug coverage on the 2027 roster

CMS lists 0 stand-alone Part D plans in Ada County for 2027. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan without drug coverage (an MA-only plan), you generally cannot add a stand-alone Part D plan alongside it. Check each plan's own materials to confirm whether it bundles Part D.

A few Part D program facts that apply nationwide in 2027, no matter which plan you choose:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated as of 2025, so Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments, at no extra cost. You have to opt in.
• IRMAA surcharges (extra amounts on Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income enrollees) begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

How to use the table to narrow your choices

There is no "best" plan for everyone — the right plan depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your travel patterns, and your budget. A workable order of operations:

1. Confirm your doctors and hospitals. Ask each provider which 2027 Ada County plans they'll accept, then keep only those rows on the list. 2. Check your prescriptions. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to price your specific drugs against each remaining plan's formulary. 3. Pick the plan type that fits your habits. If you want maximum flexibility outside a network, PPOs may fit; if you're comfortable with a defined network and referrals, HMOs may fit. 4. Check SNP eligibility if it applies to you. Some plans are SNPs and require you to qualify. 5. Read each plan's own documents (Summary of Benefits, Evidence of Coverage) for premium, deductible, copay, network, and star-rating details. Those figures aren't included on this page — they belong on the plan's own materials and on the Plan Finder.

Deadlines to keep in mind

• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7, 2026. Changes made during this window take effect January 1, 2027.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 – March 31. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another MA plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and add a stand-alone Part D plan, if one is available) during this window.