Medicare Advantage

Before December 7: how to vet a brand-new 2027 plan

For 2027, Boston is looking at 50 Medicare Advantage plans: 12 new, 14 gone since 2026, and 24 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Suffolk County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

BOSTON — Shoppers in Boston will see 12 Medicare Advantage plans on the 2027 lineup that were not sold here last year, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape files for Suffolk County. Open enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, and any change you make takes effect January 1, 2027.

The new plans come from five carriers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fallon Health, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare. All 12 include drug coverage. One is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP). The full table on this page lists every 2027 plan sold in the county; this article focuses on what is new and how to vet it before the deadline.

What "new" means here

A "new" plan is one a carrier is offering in Suffolk County for 2027 that it did not offer in 2026. That is different from a renewing plan, which keeps the same contract and plan ID from one year to the next (even if benefits or costs change — those changes show up in the Annual Notice of Change the plan mails each fall).

Why does the difference matter? A renewing plan has a track record you can look up: CMS publishes a Star Rating each fall based on past performance in areas like customer service, member complaints and preventive care. A brand-new plan does not have one yet, because there is no history to measure. That is not a warning sign — it is simply how the rating system works. You will want to lean more on the specifics (network, formulary, costs) and less on ratings when a plan is new.

The 12 new plans for 2027 in Boston

Boston is in Suffolk County, where the following plans are new for the 2027 plan year, listed alphabetically by carrier:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts — Medicare HMO Blue FlexRx (HMO-POS); Medicare HMO Blue ValueRx (HMO); Medicare PPO Blue ValueRx (PPO)
• Fallon Health — Fallon Medicare Plus Blue (HMO); Fallon Medicare Plus Green (HMO); Fallon Medicare Plus Orange (HMO); NaviCare (HMO D-SNP)
• Mass General Brigham Health Plan — Mass General Brigham Advantage Core (HMO-POS); Mass General Brigham Advantage Plus (HMO-POS)
• Tufts Health Plan — Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO Smart Saver Rx (HMO); Tufts Medicare Preferred PPO RX (PPO)
• UnitedHealthcare — AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx MA-MA2 (HMO-POS)

By type, the new group includes HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans. One — Fallon's NaviCare — is a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, designed for people who have both Medicare and MassHealth. All 12 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

How to vet a brand-new plan before December 7

A new plan can be a good fit, but because there is no past Star Rating, the burden is on you to check the fundamentals. Here is a short checklist:

1. Confirm your doctors and hospitals are in the network. Call each provider's billing office and ask whether they will be in-network for the specific 2027 plan you are considering — plans with similar names can have different networks. Do not rely on a general "we take Medicare." 2. Run every prescription through the plan's formulary. On medicare.gov, enter your drugs, pharmacy and dosage. The Plan Finder will show the plan's tier, any restrictions (prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits) and your projected yearly drug cost. 3. Read the Summary of Benefits. Each plan posts one. Look at the primary care and specialist copays, the maximum out-of-pocket limit, and how the plan handles things you actually use — a yearly MRI, physical therapy, mental health visits, hearing aids. 4. Check the plan type against how you want to get care. HMOs generally require you to use in-network providers and get referrals. HMO-POS plans add some out-of-network flexibility. PPOs let you see out-of-network providers at a higher cost. D-SNPs have eligibility rules tied to Medicaid. 5. Note the drug cost rules for 2027. Part D has a $2,400 out-of-pocket cap in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and a maximum deductible of $700 (up from $615). The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year if you choose.

How this compares with your renewing plan

If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan and it is coming back for 2027, you should have received — or will soon receive — an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). It spells out exactly what is different next year: premium, deductible, copays, drug tiers, network, and extra benefits. Read it alongside the Summary of Benefits for any new plan you are weighing. If you do nothing, your current plan simply renews with those changes on January 1, 2027.

For context, 14 plans sold in Suffolk County this year are not returning for 2027, and three plans are being renamed. If your plan is one of them, the carrier is required to tell you in writing.

Dates to remember

• October 15 – December 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Changes take effect January 1, 2027.
• January 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one switch during this window (to another MA plan or back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan).

CMS typically announces the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, in the fall — usually November. Those figures are not final yet.