Medicare Advantage

Baltimore Medicare Advantage for 2027: a step-by-step way to compare your choices

Baltimore city has 24 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 9 plans are not coming back, 2 are new, and 9 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 1 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Baltimore, not which plan to pick.

BALTIMORE — Fall 2026 is when Medicare's open enrollment window reopens, and this year the mail is a little heavier than usual in Baltimore. The city sits in Baltimore city, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup looks different from 2026: fewer plans overall, two carriers moving in or out, and a mix of HMOs, HMO-POS and PPOs to sort through before the December 7, 2026 deadline.

You do not have to do anything. If your current plan is offered again in 2027, it renews on January 1 with the changes spelled out in your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). But if you want to compare — or if your plan is one of the nine not returning next year — here is a plain, step-by-step way to work through it.

What Baltimore's 2027 lineup looks like

For plan year 2027, Baltimore city has 24 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 8 carriers. By type, that breaks down to 17 HMO plans, 3 HMO-POS plans and 4 PPO plans. All 24 include prescription drug coverage.

Special Needs Plans — plans built for people with specific situations — make up a meaningful share: 9 Dual Eligible SNPs (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid), 2 Chronic Condition SNPs, and 2 Institutional SNPs.

Compared with 2026, 9 plans are not returning next year, 2 are brand new, and 1 plan has been renamed (your ANOC will tell you if it is yours). The table below lists every carrier and plan available in Baltimore city for 2027.

The eight carriers you will see for 2027

In alphabetical order, the carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans in Baltimore city for 2027 are: Alterwood Advantage (5 plans), CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage DualPrime (1 plan), CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Advantage (3 plans), HealthSpring (4 plans), Johns Hopkins Advantage MD (1 plan), Kaiser Permanente (5 plans), KeyCare Advantage (2 plans), and UnitedHealthcare (3 plans).

Johns Hopkins Advantage MD appears as a carrier for 2027 in Baltimore city — a change worth noting if you have been looking for a locally based option. The full plan names are in the table below.

A six-step way to compare

1. Read your Annual Notice of Change first

Your current plan mailed you an ANOC in late September. It is the single most important document you will get this fall. It compares your 2026 plan side-by-side with how it will work in 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug list, pharmacy network, and extra benefits. Read it before you shop anywhere else. If nothing you care about changed, you may be done.

2. Make a short list of what you actually use

Write down:

• The doctors and specialists you want to keep.
• The hospital or health system you prefer.
• Every prescription you take, with the dose and how often.
• The pharmacy you use (and whether mail order matters).

This list is what you will type into the Medicare Plan Finder.

3. Check doctors and hospitals

A plan's network can change from year to year. Even if you keep the same plan, confirm your doctors and your hospital are still in-network for 2027. The cleanest way is to call the plan directly or check its online provider directory — and ask your doctor's billing office which 2027 plans they are contracted with. HMO plans generally require you to stay in network; PPO plans let you go out of network at a higher cost.

4. Check prescriptions and pharmacies

Drug lists (formularies) change every year. A medication that was on a lower tier in 2026 may move to a higher tier in 2027, or need prior authorization. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your drugs and your preferred pharmacy, then shows your estimated yearly cost under each plan. That is the most useful comparison you can make.

Two Part D figures worth keeping in mind for 2027: the out-of-pocket cap on prescriptions rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the year, is still available.

5. Look at total yearly cost, not just the premium

A $0 premium plan can still cost more over the year than one with a monthly premium, depending on your drugs, your specialist visits and your hospital use. The Plan Finder adds all of that up for you. Also look at the plan's maximum out-of-pocket limit — that is the ceiling on what you would pay for in-network medical care in a year.

6. Confirm the plan type fits how you use care

HMO plans generally require in-network care and a primary care doctor. HMO-POS plans add some out-of-network flexibility. PPO plans give you the most freedom but usually cost more out of network. If you travel often or split time between states, the plan type matters a lot.

If you qualify for a Special Needs Plan

Of the 24 plans available in Baltimore city for 2027, 13 are Special Needs Plans. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, a D-SNP may be worth a look — there are 9 in the county. If you have a qualifying chronic condition, there are 2 C-SNPs; if you live in a nursing facility or need that level of care at home, there are 2 I-SNPs. Eligibility rules apply, and the plan's materials or 1-800-MEDICARE can confirm whether you qualify.

A few 2027 figures still to come

CMS has not yet published the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets and surcharges. Those usually come out in November. Once they are posted, they apply to everyone with Medicare — they are not set by individual plans.