Medicare Advantage

16 new Medicare Advantage plans arrive in El Paso for 2027: the full list by carrier

El Paso County has 89 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 18 plans are not coming back, 16 are new, and 48 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 19 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for El Paso, not which plan to pick.

EL PASO — For the 2027 plan year, 16 Medicare Advantage plans that were not sold in El Paso County this year are joining the lineup, from eight different carriers. If you live in or near El Paso and are shopping during the Annual Enrollment Period that runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, these are names you may see on Medicare.gov for the first time.

A "new" plan here means exactly that: it did not exist in El Paso County for 2026. It has no local track record yet — no Star Rating history, no past Annual Notice of Change to compare, and no prior members' experience to draw on. That is not a reason to avoid it or to pick it. It is a reason to look at the plan's own documents carefully before you enroll.

What's new in El Paso County for 2027

El Paso is in El Paso County, where Medicare Advantage plan availability is set. For 2027, CMS's Landscape file shows 16 plans new to the county, spread across these carriers (listed alphabetically):

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 2 new plans: Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Total (HMO C-SNP) and Aetna Medicare QMB Only Care (HMO D-SNP). Both include drug coverage.
• Centene (WellCare) — 2 new plans: Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Liberty (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Reserve Value (HMO D-SNP). Both include drug coverage.
• Devoted Health — 2 new plans: DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 086 TX (HMO C-SNP) and DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 113 TX (HMO). Both include drug coverage.
• El Paso Health Medicare Advantage — 1 new plan: El Paso Health Medicare Align (HMO D-SNP). Includes drug coverage.
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 4 new plans: Wellpoint Chronic Care Advantage (HMO C-SNP), Wellpoint Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP), Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus (HMO D-SNP), and Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP). All include drug coverage.
• HealthSpring — 1 new plan: HealthSpring TotalCare Plus (HMO D-SNP). Includes drug coverage.
• Humana — 2 new plans: Humana Gold Plus - Diabetes and Heart (HMO C-SNP) and Humana Together in Health (PPO I-SNP). Both include drug coverage.
• UnitedHealthcare — 2 new plans: UHC Complete Care Support TX-2A (HMO-POS C-SNP) and UHC Dual Complete TX-S4 (HMO-POS D-SNP). Both include drug coverage.

The full plan table on this page lists every 2027 option in the county side by side.

Plan types, in plain English

You will see a lot of letters after each plan name. Here is what they point to:

• HMO — You usually stay in the plan's network and pick a primary care doctor.
• HMO-POS — An HMO with a "point of service" option that lets you go out of network for some services, at a different cost.
• PPO — More flexibility to see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost share.
• PFFS — Private Fee-for-Service. (No new 2027 plan in El Paso County is this type.)

About the Special Needs Plans (SNPs)

Most of the plans new to El Paso for 2027 are Special Needs Plans. SNPs are only open to people who meet specific eligibility rules:

• D-SNP (Dual-eligible) — For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic condition) — For people with a qualifying condition such as diabetes or heart disease.
• I-SNP (Institutional) — For people who live in a nursing facility or need that level of care at home.

If a plan name contains D-SNP, C-SNP or I-SNP, you cannot simply pick it off a list — you have to meet the eligibility rule for that category. Medicare.gov's Plan Finder will show you the requirement before you enroll.

How a brand-new plan is different from a renewing one

A plan that renewed from 2026 has history: current members, past benefit changes you can compare against the new year's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), and a Star Rating based on past performance. A plan that is new for 2027 does not have those yet. CMS assigns Star Ratings based on data that takes time to collect, so brand-new plans are shown without an overall rating in the first year.

That is a program fact, not a verdict. The way to evaluate a new plan is the same way you'd evaluate any plan: read its own documents and run your doctors and prescriptions through the Plan Finder.

How to check a plan against your doctors and prescriptions before December 7

Give yourself an unhurried hour and work through this list on Medicare.gov:

1. Sign in with your Medicare number. The site will save your drug list and pharmacy preference so you can compare plans apples-to-apples. 2. Add every prescription you take, with the exact dose and how often you refill it. 3. Pick your pharmacy (or more than one). The same drug can cost different amounts at different pharmacies within the same plan. 4. Add your doctors and the hospital you want to use. Plan Finder will flag whether each one is in a given plan's network for 2027. 5. Open the plan's Summary of Benefits from its page on Medicare.gov. For specifics like exact copays, prior authorization rules and travel coverage, open the plan's Evidence of Coverage, or call the plan directly. 6. Confirm with the doctor's office. Networks can shift between plan years. A quick call asking, "Are you contracted with [plan name] for 2027?" avoids surprises in January.

If any step gets confusing, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is open 24/7 and can walk through your options with you.

A few 2027 numbers worth knowing

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible a plan can charge: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS usually publishes those in the fall.

The coverage gap (the old "donut hole") is gone — Part D now has three phases. If drug costs hit hard early in the year, ask your plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads what you owe for covered drugs across monthly bills.

If you do nothing

Your current Medicare Advantage plan will roll over to 2027 if it is still being offered. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change, mailed in September, lists exactly what is changing — premium, copays, drug tiers, extra benefits. For 2027 in El Paso County, 18 plans are not returning and 19 plans are being renamed, so it's worth opening that envelope even if you're happy with your current coverage.