Medicare Advantage

13 new Medicare Advantage plans join Philadelphia's 2027 lineup — how to check one before you switch

People in Philadelphia can choose from 98 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 97 this year. Twelve of this year’s plans are gone, 13 are new to Philadelphia County, and 39 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name.

PHILADELPHIA — As the Annual Enrollment Period runs through Dec. 7, 2026, Philadelphia County residents shopping for 2027 Medicare Advantage coverage will see 13 plans on the Medicare Plan Finder that were not sold here this year. They come from eight carriers, and each one is new enough that it has no local track record for a shopper to lean on.

That is not a reason to skip them. It is a reason to check them carefully — against your own doctors, hospitals and prescriptions — before you pick.

What "new for 2027" actually means in Philadelphia

Medicare Advantage plans are approved county by county, so when we say a plan is new, we mean new on the Philadelphia County menu — it was not sold here for 2026. For 2027, CMS's Landscape files show the county has 13 new plans, alongside plans that are renewing, 9 that are renamed, and 12 that are not returning.

All 13 of the new plans include Part D drug coverage. Several are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), designed for people with specific situations: D-SNPs for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, C-SNPs for people with certain chronic conditions (such as diabetes or heart conditions), and I-SNPs for people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care. SNPs have eligibility rules — you cannot simply pick one because you like it.

The 13 new plans, by carrier

Here are the plans listed in CMS's 2027 Landscape file as new to Philadelphia County, in alphabetical order by carrier. The full table on this page shows every plan sold in the county, new or returning.

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 3 new plans: Aetna Medicare Advantra Eagle (HMO-POS); Aetna Medicare Full Dual Care (HMO D-SNP); Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO).
• Devoted Health — 2 new plans: DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 027 PA (HMO C-SNP); DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 036 PA (HMO).
• Humana — 2 new plans: Humana Dual Select H6622-103 (HMO D-SNP); HumanaChoice - Diabetes and Heart (PPO C-SNP).
• Independence Blue Cross — 1 new plan: Keystone 65 Assured Rx (HMO).
• Jefferson Health Plans — 1 new plan: Jefferson Health Plans Preferred (PPO).
• Provider Partners Health Plans — 2 new plans: Provider Partners Pennsylvania Community Plan (HMO I-SNP); Provider Partners Pennsylvania Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP).
• UnitedHealthcare — 1 new plan: UHC Complete Care Support PA-1A (HMO-POS C-SNP).
• UPMC for Life — 1 new plan: UPMC for Life HMO No Rx (HMO).

Every one of these includes prescription drug coverage, except where the plan name itself tells you otherwise (the UPMC for Life HMO No Rx is a medical-only plan — if you enroll in it, you would need to arrange Part D separately, and the Plan Finder will walk you through what that means).

How a new plan is different from a renewing one

The practical difference is history. A renewing plan has a Star Rating from CMS — a 1-to-5 score built from the plan's past performance on things like member experience, customer service and managing chronic conditions. A brand-new plan does not have one yet, because there is nothing to measure. That is a program fact, not a warning sign.

A renewing plan also comes with an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), the document your current carrier mailed in September telling you what is changing for 2027. A new plan has no ANOC because it had no prior year here. You have to read the plan materials from scratch — the Summary of Benefits, the formulary (drug list), and the provider directory — rather than compare "last year vs. this year."

That is not better or worse. It just means the homework is different.

How to vet a new plan before Dec. 7

The steps are the same ones you would use for any Medicare Advantage plan, but they matter a little more when there is no track record to fall back on.

1. Go to medicare.gov and sign in. The Plan Finder will pull up every Medicare Advantage plan in Philadelphia County for 2027, including the new ones. 2. Enter every prescription you take, with the dose and how often. The tool will show how each plan handles your specific drugs on its 2027 formulary — including which tier, any prior authorization, and estimated full-year costs. 3. Check every doctor and hospital you use against the plan's 2027 provider directory. If a doctor is important to you, call that office and confirm they will be in-network for the specific plan you are considering in 2027. Directories can lag; a phone call takes five minutes. 4. Read the Summary of Benefits for the plan, not just the marketing flyer. Look at how the plan handles the things you actually use — primary care, specialists, imaging, physical therapy, hospital stays. 5. Check SNP eligibility. If the plan is a D-SNP, C-SNP or I-SNP, confirm you qualify. If you are not sure, call 1-800-MEDICARE. 6. If you want to talk it through, call 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7) for a neutral walk-through of your options.

A few 2027 numbers worth knowing

Two Part D figures are already confirmed for 2027 and apply to every Medicare drug plan, new or returning:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not yet been announced by CMS at the time of writing; CMS typically publishes those figures later in the fall.

If you do nothing before Dec. 7 and your current plan is being offered in 2027, you stay in it — with the changes described in your ANOC. If your plan is one of the 12 not returning in Philadelphia County, your carrier is required to tell you, and you will have time to pick a replacement.