Medicare Advantage

Eight new Medicare Advantage plans reach St. Paul for 2027: how to check one before you switch

For 2027, St. Paul is looking at 27 Medicare Advantage plans: 8 new, 18 gone since 2026, and 9 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Ramsey County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ST. PAUL — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens for 2027 coverage, Ramsey County's Medicare Advantage menu is shifting. Three carriers — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, and Medica — are introducing a combined eight plans that were not sold in the county for 2026. Because these plans are brand new, they do not yet have a Star Rating or any claims history, so the usual shortcuts for sizing up a plan do not apply. That makes a careful check against your own doctors and prescriptions before December 7, 2026 especially important.

What Medicare Advantage plans are new in St. Paul for 2027?

Eight Medicare Advantage plans are new to Ramsey County — the county St. Paul sits in — for the 2027 plan year, out of 27 Medicare Advantage plans offered there for 2027. The new entrants come from three carriers:

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota: Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Essential (PPO), Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Premier (PPO), and Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Select (PPO).
• HealthPartners: HealthPartners Journey Pace (PPO) and HealthPartners Journey Smart (PPO).
• Medica: Medica Advantage Preferred (PPO), Medica Advantage Select (PPO), and Medica Advantage Value (PPO).

The table on this page lists each plan's type and drug-coverage status alongside the plans that are renewing.

What plan types are the new St. Paul plans, and do they include drug coverage?

All eight new plans in Ramsey County for 2027 are PPO plans, and all eight include Part D prescription drug coverage. A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) generally lets you see providers outside the network at a higher cost; the specific network and out-of-network terms vary by plan and are spelled out in the plan's Evidence of Coverage.

None of the eight new plans is a Special Needs Plan (SNP). SNPs are limited to people who meet specific conditions — for example, having both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP) or a qualifying chronic condition (C-SNP). Ramsey County's SNP options for 2027 come from carriers already in the market.

How is a new Medicare Advantage plan different from a renewing one?

A renewing plan has a track record you can look up — a Star Rating from CMS, member experience scores, and a history of formulary and network choices. A brand-new plan has none of that yet. CMS assigns Star Ratings after a plan has been offered long enough to measure, so a new 2027 plan will not carry a rating in its first year.

That is a program fact, not a verdict. It does not mean a new plan is better or worse than a renewing one. It does mean the usual shortcut — glancing at the stars — is not available, so the rest of the homework matters more: the provider network, the drug list, the cost-sharing, and the service area.

How do I check a new plan against my doctors and prescriptions before December 7?

Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which pulls plan networks and formularies directly from CMS data. A practical order of operations:

1. Enter your ZIP code and your current prescriptions (dose and frequency matter). 2. Add your preferred pharmacy; the same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies within one plan. 3. Open each plan you are considering and look for your doctors and hospitals in the provider directory, then confirm by calling the clinic — directories can lag. 4. Read the plan's Summary of Benefits and, if you want the full detail, the Evidence of Coverage. 5. If you prefer to talk it through, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24/7.

Do this before December 7, 2026, the last day of the Annual Enrollment Period for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.

What else is changing for Medicare in 2027?

A few program-level numbers are already set for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026). CMS also set the Part D national base beneficiary premium at $41.33 for 2027; that figure is a formula input used across the program, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically publishes them later in the fall. If you do nothing during the enrollment window, your current plan renews for 2027 — the changes it is making are in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) it mails each fall.