Medicare Advantage

The Medicare Advantage plans available in Boston for 2027, carrier by carrier

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.

Medicare AdvantageBoston, MA

Boston, Mass. — If you are shopping a Medicare Advantage plan in Boston for 2027, this guide walks through what is on the shelf, carrier by carrier, so you can see the full lineup in one place before you compare details on Medicare.gov.

Boston sits in Suffolk County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. For 2027, CMS lists 47 Medicare Advantage plans in Suffolk County from 11 carriers. The table below lists every plan, its type (HMO, HMO-POS or PPO), and whether it is a Special Needs Plan.

What is on the shelf in Suffolk County

The 2027 CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape shows the following carriers offering plans to Boston residents. Names and counts are listed exactly as CMS publishes them, in alphabetical order:

• Aetna (CVS Health): 1 plan (HMO-POS)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts: 7 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO)
• Commonwealth Care Alliance Massachusetts: 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Commonwealth Care Alliance, Inc.: 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• eternalHealth: 3 plans (HMO, PPO)
• Fallon Health: 5 plans (HMO; 1 Special Needs)
• Humana: 5 plans (PPO)
• Mass General Brigham Health Plan: 6 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 2 Special Needs)
• Molina Healthcare of Massachusetts: 3 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs)
• Tufts Health Plan: 13 plans (HMO, PPO; 4 Special Needs)
• UnitedHealthcare: 7 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 4 Special Needs)

The full plan-by-plan list is in the table on this page. For specific premiums, copays, deductibles, provider networks and star ratings, always check the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov or the plan's own documents — those details change each year and are individual to each plan.

Plan types, in plain English

The lineup uses three plan types. Knowing the difference matters more than any brand name.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You choose a primary care doctor and usually stay inside the plan's network. Referrals are often required to see specialists.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). Like an HMO, but with a limited option to go out of network for certain services, usually at a higher cost.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, typically without referrals, though costs are lower in network.

Boston's 52 plans split into 31 HMOs, 5 HMO-POS plans and 16 PPOs. If you travel a lot or split time between homes, the plan type is often the first filter to think about.

Special Needs Plans in the mix

Of the 52 plans, 16 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are Medicare Advantage plans built for people who fit a specific category — most commonly, people who have both Medicare and MassHealth (Medicaid), which in Massachusetts includes Senior Care Options (SCO) and One Care plans.

You can see SNPs from Commonwealth Care Alliance, Fallon Health (NaviCare), Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare on the Suffolk County list. You must qualify to enroll — usually by having full MassHealth benefits or another qualifying condition — so check eligibility before you shop.

Drug coverage and the 2027 Part D rules

Every one of the 52 Advantage plans in Suffolk County includes Part D drug coverage. The CMS landscape file shows no stand-alone Part D plans specifically listed for the area, which means people who want an Advantage plan and Part D together can get both in one plan.

A few program-level Part D facts to keep in mind for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100. Once your drug spending reaches that, you pay $0 for covered Part D drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615. Plans can set a lower deductible.
• The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases: deductible, initial coverage and catastrophic.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs across the calendar year in monthly payments, at no extra charge, if you opt in.
• Higher-income enrollees pay an IRMAA surcharge on top of Part D and Part B premiums, starting above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Dates to circle

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. You can switch Advantage plans, move between Original Medicare and Advantage, or join or change a Part D plan.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in an Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to change to a different Advantage plan or drop back to Original Medicare (and pick up a Part D plan).

If your current plan is changing for 2027, your carrier is required to send you an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) before the fall. Read it — that document tells you what is different next year.

How to compare without getting overwhelmed

With 52 options, a simple order of operations helps:

1. Start with your doctors and hospitals. Check each plan's provider directory to see which ones are in network. 2. Check your prescriptions against the plan's drug list (formulary), including tier and pharmacy rules. 3. Look at the plan type. HMO, HMO-POS or PPO — which matches how you use care and travel? 4. Compare the total picture on Medicare Plan Finder: premium, deductible, copays and the out-of-pocket maximum, not just one number. 5. If you qualify for MassHealth or Extra Help, look at SNPs and low-income Part D help — they can change the math a lot.

For free, unbiased help, call Massachusetts SHINE (the state's SHIP program) or 1-800-MEDICARE.