Medicare Advantage

4 New Medicare Advantage Plans in Maryland for 2027: The List

BALTIMORE — Four Medicare Advantage plans available to Maryland residents for 2027 were not offered in the state for 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Landscape Source Files for CY2026 and CY2027. The four new plans sit within a statewide total of 47 Medicare Advantage plans offered somewhere in Maryland for 2027, and they come from two carriers: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Advantage and Johns Hopkins Advantage MD.

What follows is a plain-English guide to what is new, how to tell whether a new plan is actually offered in your county, and what to do before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7, 2026.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are new in Maryland for 2027, and which carriers offer them?

Four of the 47 Medicare Advantage plans offered in Maryland for 2027 are new, meaning they were not offered in the state for 2026. Two carriers account for all four: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Advantage has two new plans, and Johns Hopkins Advantage MD has two new plans.

That does not mean every Maryland county suddenly has four more choices. Medicare Advantage is sold at the county level, so each new plan is only available in the specific counties where the carrier has filed to offer it. The table on this page shows each new plan, its type (HMO, PPO, or D-SNP), and the number of counties it covers.

Which new Maryland Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 have the widest county reach?

The widest county reach among the new 2027 plans belongs to CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Signature (PPO), one of two new CareFirst PPO plans with drug coverage, offered in 18 Maryland counties for 2027. A second CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Signature (PPO) plan, also new with drug coverage, is offered in 6 counties.

Johns Hopkins Advantage MD is introducing two new plans as well: Johns Hopkins Advantage MD Access (PPO), a PPO with drug coverage offered in 5 counties, and Johns Hopkins Advantage MD BMORE Balanced (HMO D-SNP), a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan with drug coverage offered in 1 county. A D-SNP is designed for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid; eligibility rules apply.

The full list, with plan types and county counts, appears in the table above. The order is by the number of counties each plan covers, not a ranking of quality.

What does it mean when a Medicare Advantage plan is "new" for 2027 in Maryland?

A plan that is new for 2027 does not yet have a Medicare Star Rating or a public track record under that plan name. CMS Star Ratings are built from data collected over prior plan years, and a plan that was not offered for 2026 has no such history to score. This is a fact about how the rating system works, not a judgment of the plan.

For Maryland shoppers, that simply means one of the usual comparison tools — the Star Rating — will not be available for these four new plans during the Annual Enrollment Period for 2027. Other details, such as premium, deductible, drug list (formulary) and provider network, are published by the carrier and listed on the Medicare Plan Finder.

How do I check whether a new 2027 Medicare Advantage plan is offered in my Maryland county and covers my doctors and prescriptions?

Enter your ZIP code at medicare.gov and open the Medicare Plan Finder, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Plan Finder will show which of Maryland's 47 Medicare Advantage plans — including any of the four new ones — are actually offered in your county for 2027.

Within each plan listing you can:

• Enter your prescriptions by name and dose to see whether they are on the plan's formulary and at what tier.
• Enter your doctors, specialists and preferred hospitals to see whether they are listed as in-network.
• Review the plan's Summary of Benefits and, once enrolled, the Evidence of Coverage, which is the binding document.

If a new plan is not offered in your county, it will not appear in your Plan Finder results, even though it exists elsewhere in Maryland.

What should Maryland Medicare beneficiaries do before December 7, 2026?

Before December 7, 2026, review your current coverage against what will be offered for 2027 in your county. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

A simple checklist:

• Read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your current plan mailed in September, which lists what is changing for 2027.
• Make a current list of your prescriptions (name, dose, frequency) and your doctors and hospitals.
• Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare your current plan with other 2027 options in your county, including any of the four new plans available where you live.
• If you take no action, in most cases you stay in your current plan for 2027 — unless the plan itself is ending, in which case your plan will send a non-renewal notice.

Where can Maryland residents get free help comparing 2027 Medicare Advantage plans?

Free, unbiased help is available directly from Medicare. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or use the Medicare Plan Finder and chat tools at medicare.gov.

Medicare's counselors can walk you through how a specific plan — including any of the new 2027 plans listed above — would work with your prescriptions, your providers and your county.