Medicare Advantage

Highmark's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans in Philadelphia: a plan-by-plan look

Philadelphia, Pa. — The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 Medicare coverage opens October 15, 2026 and closes December 7, 2026, and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is bringing two Medicare Advantage plans to Philadelphia County next year. Both are PPOs, both include drug coverage, and neither is a Special Needs Plan. If you already have one of them, it renews January 1, 2027 unless you make a change — but the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed you may show different costs, drugs or network rules for the new year.

MyMedicarePlans.org is an independent consumer site; we are not Highmark and not Medicare. The point of this piece is simply to lay out what Highmark is offering locally for 2027 and show you how to check any plan against your own doctors and prescriptions before December 7.

Which Highmark Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Philadelphia for 2027?

In Philadelphia County, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is offering two Medicare Advantage plans for 2027: Complete Blue PPO Distinct and Freedom Blue PPO Valor. Both are PPOs and both include Part D prescription drug coverage. Highmark is not offering a D-SNP, C-SNP or I-SNP in the county for 2027. The table below lists every Highmark plan available locally so you can see the names side by side.

Philadelphia is in Philadelphia County, and Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. That means the two plans listed above are what shows up for a Philadelphia address on medicare.gov.

Is Highmark adding or dropping plans in Philadelphia County for 2027?

For 2027, Highmark has 0 new Medicare Advantage plans in Philadelphia County and 0 plans not returning. That does not mean nothing is changing. Returning plans can still adjust premiums, deductibles, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits and provider networks from one year to the next, and those details sit inside each plan's Annual Notice of Change. If you have not seen your ANOC, check your mail or your plan's member portal — it is the single most useful document to read before December 7.

Does Highmark offer a Special Needs Plan in Philadelphia for 2027?

No. Highmark has 0 Special Needs Plans in Philadelphia County for 2027 — no D-SNP (for people with both Medicare and Medicaid), no C-SNP (for specific chronic conditions) and no I-SNP (for people living in certain institutions). Other carriers in the county do offer SNPs, so if you qualify for one it is worth comparing across insurers on medicare.gov.

What other Medicare Advantage carriers sell plans in Philadelphia County for 2027?

Highmark is one of 17 carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Philadelphia County for 2027, and together those carriers offer 98 plans. So while this article focuses on Highmark's two plans, you are not limited to them. If you want to see every plan available at your address — Highmark's and everyone else's — the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov is the complete county-by-county list.

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

Before you enroll in or stay in any Medicare Advantage plan, run three quick checks for 2027:

1. Doctors and hospitals. Look up each provider in the plan's 2027 provider directory, or call the office and ask whether they will be in-network for that specific Highmark PPO next year. PPO networks can change on January 1. 2. Prescriptions. Enter every drug you take, with the dose, into the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. It will show the plan's 2027 formulary tier, any restrictions (prior authorization, step therapy, quantity limits) and the yearly cost estimate based on your pharmacy. 3. The ANOC. Read the Annual Notice of Change for your current plan, if you have one. It is the plain-English list of what is different in 2027 compared with 2026.

If you prefer to talk to a person, call 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24/7. For plan-specific questions — a particular drug tier, a particular specialist, a particular benefit — call Highmark directly using the member services number on the plan's page at medicare.gov.

What else is changing in Medicare for 2027?

A few program-wide numbers are already set for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026). The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The Part D national base beneficiary premium for 2027 is $41.33 — that is a formula input CMS uses, not what any particular 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, usually in November. We will update our coverage when those numbers are official.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases. And if your drug costs are uneven across the year, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread out-of-pocket drug costs over monthly payments instead of paying them all at the pharmacy counter.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7?

Nothing dramatic. If you take no action by December 7, 2026, your current Medicare plan simply renews for 2027 as long as it is still being offered — with whatever changes are described in your ANOC. You can still make one switch between Medicare Advantage plans (or back to Original Medicare) during Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, which runs January 1 – March 31, 2027.