Medicare Advantage

El Paso 2027 Medicare Advantage: how to compare 89 plans before Dec. 7

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, Texas — The window to change your Medicare coverage for 2027 is open now and closes December 7, 2026. If you live in El Paso and want to look at Medicare Advantage, you have a lot to sort through: El Paso is in El Paso County, where CMS lists 89 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers for 2027, including 16 new plans and 18 that are not returning. Here is a plain-English way to compare them without losing a weekend.

What El Paso County has on the shelf for 2027

El Paso's Medicare Advantage lineup is big and varied. For plan year 2027, CMS lists:

• 89 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers
• By type: 47 HMO, 17 HMO-POS, 24 PPO, 1 PFFS
• All 89 include prescription drug coverage
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs): 28 D-SNP, 15 C-SNP, 4 I-SNP
• 16 new plans for 2027 and 18 not returning

The 12 carriers offering plans in the county next year, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, El Paso Health Medicare Advantage, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc., ProCare Advantage, Provider Partners Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

Know the plan types before you shortlist

The letters after a plan's name matter more than the brand on the front:

• HMO — you pick a primary care doctor and generally stay in network; referrals are often required.
• HMO-POS — like an HMO, but with a "point of service" option to go out of network for certain services at a higher cost.
• PPO — more freedom to see out-of-network providers, usually at a higher share of the cost.
• PFFS — the plan sets the terms; providers choose whether to accept it visit by visit.
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs) — limited to people who qualify. D-SNP is for people with both Medicare and Medicaid, C-SNP is for certain chronic conditions (such as diabetes or heart conditions), and I-SNP is for people living in a long-term care setting.

El Paso County's SNP shelf for 2027 includes 28 D-SNPs, 15 C-SNPs and 4 I-SNPs. If you qualify for one, those are worth a specific look.

A step-by-step way to compare

Trying to compare 89 plans at once is a trap. Narrow the field with the questions that affect you.

1. Start with the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). If you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, your carrier mailed (or emailed) the ANOC by late September. It shows what changes January 1, 2027 — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier placement, network, extra benefits. Read the ANOC first. If nothing important changed and your doctors and drugs are still covered, you may be done.

2. List your doctors and hospitals. Write them down — primary care, specialists, and the hospital system you want to use. For each plan you're considering, check the provider directory on the plan's website, or call the plan and ask whether each provider is in network for the specific 2027 plan (networks can differ between a carrier's HMO and PPO).

3. List your prescriptions. Include name, dose and how often you take each one. All 89 Medicare Advantage plans in El Paso County for 2027 include drug coverage, but formularies, tiers and prior authorization rules vary a lot. The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov will let you enter your drugs and your preferred pharmacy and show your estimated yearly drug cost under each plan.

4. Check your pharmacy. A plan can be "preferred" at one chain and "standard" at another, which changes your copay. If you use a specific neighborhood or mail-order pharmacy, confirm it before you enroll.

5. Add up the real costs. Premium is only one line. Look at the deductible, primary care and specialist copays, hospital stays, and the plan's maximum out-of-pocket for in-network care. For 2027, the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). Those drug-cost protections apply across Medicare.

6. Check extras last. Dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter cards and fitness benefits are nice, but a plan that doesn't cover your cardiologist or your blood thinner is not a bargain.

What's new for 2027 in El Paso County

A few things are worth flagging:

• 16 new plans are entering the El Paso County market and 18 are leaving. If your plan is one of the ones not returning, your carrier is required to send you a non-renewal notice. You will have a Special Enrollment Period, but it is simpler to pick a 2027 plan during the Annual Enrollment Period.
• Renamed plans. Several plans in the county have new names for 2027 — same plan, different label. Your ANOC will say so.
• Drug cost cap. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs reaches that cap, you pay $0 for the rest of the calendar year.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. You can still choose to spread your yearly Part D costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. Ask your plan.
• CMS has not yet announced the 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, or the 2027 IRMAA income brackets. Those usually come out in November — don't base a decision on a guess.

If you do nothing

Nothing bad happens automatically. If your current plan is offered in 2027, it renews on January 1 with the changes listed in the ANOC. If it is not offered, your carrier will tell you, and you'll return to Original Medicare unless you pick a new plan. Either way, the deadline to change is December 7, 2026. If you miss it, the next broad chance to switch Medicare Advantage plans is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 – March 31, 2027.