Medicare Advantage

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield Medicare Advantage in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvanians comparing Medicare Advantage options for 2027 will see a familiar name on the shelf: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for the 2027 plan year, the carrier is offering 75 Medicare Advantage plans statewide, alongside 19 other carriers that together bring Pennsylvania's statewide total to 338 plans. This article is published by an independent Medicare education site; it is not the government and not affiliated with Highmark or any insurance carrier.

2027 plan lineupPennsylvania

What the carrier offers statewide for 2027

For the 2027 plan year, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield lists 75 Medicare Advantage plans across Pennsylvania. By plan type, that breaks down to 24 HMO plans, 9 HMO-POS plans, and 42 PPO plans. All 75 include Part D prescription drug coverage.

The carrier does not list any Special Needs Plans in Pennsylvania for 2027: zero D-SNPs (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid), zero C-SNPs (for people with specific chronic conditions), and zero I-SNPs (for people living in institutional settings). Shoppers who need a Special Needs Plan will want to look at other carriers available in their county.

For context, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield is one of 20 carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans somewhere in Pennsylvania in 2027, with 338 plans in total across all carriers statewide.

Plans with the widest county reach

The table on this page shows every Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield plan for 2027 along with how many Pennsylvania counties it reaches. A few names appear at the top of the list by county count.

Several Freedom Blue PPO plans — including Freedom Blue PPO Basic, Freedom Blue PPO Deluxe, Freedom Blue PPO Standard, Freedom Blue PPO Valor, and Freedom Blue PPO ValueRx — are each offered in 34 Pennsylvania counties, the broadest footprints in the carrier's 2027 lineup. The Security Blue HMO-POS family (Basic, Deluxe, Standard, and ValueRx) also reaches multiple county groupings, including 17- and 11-county service areas.

Among the HMO and newer PPO products, Community Blue Medicare HMO Distinct, Community Blue Medicare HMO Signature, Community Blue Medicare PPO Signature, Complete Blue HMO Distinct, Complete Blue PPO Distinct, Complete Blue PPO Merit, and Complete Blue PPO Signature appear multiple times in the data — because the same plan name can be filed as different plan IDs for different county groupings. The widest-reaching Complete Blue PPO Merit listing covers 15 counties.

Reach is not the same as fit. A plan available in many counties still has to match your providers, your prescriptions, and your county of residence.

What is new or not returning

The 2027 landscape data shows 4 plans newly offered by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield in Pennsylvania, and 5 plans from the 2026 lineup that are not returning for 2027.

The plans flagged as new for 2027 in the data include a Community Blue Medicare HMO Signature listing, two Complete Blue PPO Merit listings, and a Complete Blue PPO Distinct listing. There is also one plan renamed for 2027: Together Blue Medicare HMO Signature is now Together Blue Medicare HMO with AHN Signature.

If you were enrolled in a plan that is not returning, you should receive a non-renewal notice from the carrier before the Annual Enrollment Period and will have time to pick a replacement.

Checking whether a plan is offered in your county — and covers your doctors and prescriptions

Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county. A plan on the statewide list may not be sold in your county, and the details that matter most to you — premium, deductible, copays, extra benefits, in-network providers, pharmacy network, and drug formulary — are set at the plan level and can differ even between plans with similar names.

Three reliable ways to check:

1. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code and, if you want personalized drug cost estimates, your prescription list and preferred pharmacy. 2. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 3. Read the plan's own Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits, provider directory, and formulary before enrolling.

Confirm directly with your doctors' and specialists' offices that they will accept the specific plan in 2027 — networks can change year to year.

What to do before December 7

The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage runs October 15 – December 7, 2026. A choice you make during that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

A simple checklist:

• Read the Annual Notice of Change your current plan mailed you in September, if you already have Medicare Advantage or Part D.
• Make a list of your prescriptions (with dosages) and the doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies you want to keep.
• Compare plans on medicare.gov using your ZIP code and that list.
• If you want to switch, enroll by December 7, 2026.

If you do nothing, your current plan generally renews automatically — assuming it is being offered again in your county for 2027.

Where to get free help

You can get free, unbiased information about Medicare at any time:

• medicare.gov — the official site, including the Medicare Plan Finder for county-level plan details.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048 — available 24/7.

Plan-specific details — premiums, deductibles, copays, benefits, networks, formularies, and star ratings — come from the Medicare Plan Finder, 1-800-MEDICARE, or directly from the plan's Evidence of Coverage and directories.