Medicare Advantage

Eight new Medicare Advantage plans for Pittsburgh in 2027: how to check one before you switch

People in Pittsburgh can choose from 95 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 96 this year. Nine of this year’s plans are gone, 8 are new to Allegheny County, and 46 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 11 of them under a new name.

PITTSBURGH — When the Medicare Plan Finder refreshes for the 2027 plan year this fall, shoppers in Allegheny County will see eight Medicare Advantage plans that were not on last year's lineup. They come from six different carriers, and because they are brand-new, none of them has a Star Rating history yet. That is not a reason to pick or skip one — it is just something to know before the Annual Enrollment Period closes on December 7, 2026.

Which Medicare Advantage plans are new in Pittsburgh for 2027?

Eight Medicare Advantage plans are new for 2027 in Allegheny County, out of 95 total plans. The CMS Landscape Source File lists them, in alphabetical order by carrier:

• Aetna Medicare Full Dual Extra (HMO D-SNP) — Aetna (CVS Health); with drug coverage
• DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 031 PA (HMO C-SNP) — Devoted Health; with drug coverage
• DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 035 PA (HMO) — Devoted Health; with drug coverage
• Provider Partners Pennsylvania Community Plan (HMO I-SNP) — Provider Partners Health Plans; with drug coverage
• Provider Partners Pennsylvania Essential Plan (HMO I-SNP) — Provider Partners Health Plans; with drug coverage
• UHC Complete Care Support PA-1A (HMO-POS C-SNP) — UnitedHealthcare; with drug coverage
• UPMC for Life PPO Rx Choice (PPO) — UPMC for Life; with drug coverage
• UPMC for Life Complete Care (HMO D-SNP) — UPMC for Life Complete Care; with drug coverage

The table below lists every plan available in the county, both new and renewing.

How many of the new plans are Special Needs Plans, and what does that mean?

Six of the eight new 2027 plans in Allegheny County are Special Needs Plans (SNPs). SNPs are a kind of Medicare Advantage plan built around people who share a specific situation — not a plan anyone can join.

There are three kinds, and all three show up in the new 2027 list:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible) is for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. The new Aetna Medicare Full Dual Extra and UPMC for Life Complete Care are D-SNPs.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition) is for people with a qualifying chronic condition such as diabetes or heart failure. DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 031 PA and UHC Complete Care Support PA-1A are C-SNPs.
• I-SNP (Institutional) is for people who live in a nursing home or need a nursing-home level of care at home. The two Provider Partners plans are I-SNPs.

To join a SNP, you have to meet its eligibility rule and keep meeting it. Not everyone shopping in Pittsburgh will qualify for the SNPs on this list.

Do the new 2027 plans in Pittsburgh include drug coverage?

Yes — all eight of the new 2027 plans in Allegheny County are Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans (MA-PD), meaning Part D drug coverage is built in. Across the full county lineup, 84 of the 95 plans include drug coverage.

If you already have a stand-alone Part D plan and you move to one of these MA-PDs, you will be moved off the stand-alone drug plan. If you take a specific medication, check how it is covered on the new plan's formulary before you switch — that information is on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and in each plan's Evidence of Coverage.

Two Part D program figures to keep in mind as you compare: for 2027, the out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). Those are the ceilings a plan cannot go past; the plan's own deductible and copays can be lower.

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

A new plan has no track record on Medicare.gov yet. Medicare's Star Ratings — the 1-to-5 scores you see next to plan names — are based on member experience and plan performance from past years. A plan in its first year does not have that history, so it shows up without a Star Rating.

A renewing plan, by contrast, has that history, and it also comes with an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) each fall that tells current members exactly what is shifting for the next year — premium, copays, drug list, network. A new plan has no ANOC because no one is currently on it.

That does not make a new plan better or worse. It just means the only way to vet it is to go source by source: the plan's Summary of Benefits, its drug formulary and its provider directory. All three are linked from medicare.gov once the 2027 plans post.

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

Four steps, in order:

1. Make a short list. Write down your doctors (primary care, any specialists), the hospital you prefer, your pharmacy, and every prescription you take, with doses. 2. Run it on the Plan Finder. At medicare.gov, enter your ZIP code and your drug list. The tool shows each 2027 plan's estimated yearly drug cost for your medications, and it flags plans that use your pharmacy as "preferred." 3. Confirm the network. The Plan Finder lists in-network providers, but it can lag. Call each doctor's office and ask whether they will be in-network for that exact plan in 2027. For a SNP, confirm the plan takes your situation (dual eligibility, your chronic condition, or your care setting). 4. Read the Summary of Benefits. For a plan with no Star Rating history, this is where you learn how referrals, prior authorization, and out-of-network care work.

If you want to talk it through with a person, 1-800-MEDICARE is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What happens if I do nothing by December 7?

If your current Medicare Advantage plan is being offered again for 2027 and you take no action, you stay on it — the plan renews automatically with whatever changes are listed in the ANOC it mailed you in September or early October. Nine plans in Allegheny County are not returning for 2027 and eleven are being renamed, so it is worth opening that ANOC even if you plan to keep what you have.

The Annual Enrollment Period closes December 7, 2026, and the choice you make (or don't make) takes effect January 1, 2027. If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and change your mind, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, 2027 gives you one chance to switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.