Medicare Advantage

26 Medicare Advantage plans are new in San Antonio for 2027: here's the list

Bexar County has 98 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 28 plans are not coming back, 26 are new, and 36 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 11 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for San Antonio, not which plan to pick.

San Antonio, fall 2026 — When the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup opens for enrollment on October 15, Bexar County shoppers will see 26 plans that were not sold here last year. New plans can look appealing on paper, but because they have no local track record yet, they deserve an extra round of checking before you sign up by December 7.

What "new for 2027" actually means in San Antonio

San Antonio is in Bexar County, where Medicare plan availability is set at the county level. For 2027, CMS's Landscape file shows 26 Medicare Advantage plans that are new to the county — meaning the carrier did not offer that exact plan here for 2026. A new plan may be a first-time entry from a carrier that is new to the area, or an additional option from a carrier that already sells here.

Either way, a new plan is a blank slate locally. There is no Star Rating yet (CMS needs claims and member data to score it), no local member reviews, and no neighbor who has used it for a year. That is not a strike against new plans — it just means the usual shortcuts for comparing plans do not apply, so you have to look at the specifics yourself.

The carriers adding plans in Bexar County for 2027

Nine carriers are introducing at least one new Medicare Advantage plan in the county for 2027:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 2 new plans
• Alignment Health Plan — 6 new plans
• Centene (WellCare) — 2 new plans
• Devoted Health — 2 new plans
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 5 new plans
• HealthSpring — 1 new plan
• Humana — 3 new plans
• SCAN Health Plan — 2 new plans
• UnitedHealthcare — 3 new plans

The table below lists every new plan with its carrier and plan type. All 26 include Part D drug coverage.

Plan types and Special Needs Plans among the newcomers

The new plans come in a few familiar structures. You will see HMOs, an HMO-POS (point-of-service, which allows some out-of-network use), and a PPO. Alignment Health Plan's entries are all HMO-POS; Humana's include a PPO and a PPO I-SNP; the rest are HMOs or HMO-POS.

A large share of the new plans are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which are built for people who meet specific eligibility rules:

• D-SNPs (Dual Eligible) are for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. New D-SNPs for 2027 include Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Liberty, Wellcare Superior HealthPlan Dual Reserve Value, Wellpoint Dual Advantage Plus Select, Wellpoint Dual Advantage Select, Wellpoint Full Dual Advantage Select, HealthSpring TotalCare Plus, Alignment Health Duals+ 007, Aetna Medicare QMB Only Care, UHC Dual Advantage TX-V11, UHC Dual Complete TX-Q6, and UHC Dual Complete TX-Y1.
• C-SNPs (Chronic Condition) are for people with specific conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease. New C-SNPs include Aetna Medicare Chronic Care Total, Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes 002, Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 004, Wellpoint Chronic Care Advantage Select, Wellpoint Chronic Care Select, DEVOTED C-SNP GIVEBACK EXTRAS 089 TX, Humana Gold Plus - Diabetes and Heart, and SCAN Walmart Medicare Complete.
• I-SNPs (Institutional) are for people living in a long-term care facility or needing a similar level of care. Humana Together in Health is new for 2027 as a PPO I-SNP.

If you do not qualify for a SNP, those plans are not open to you. The remaining new general-enrollment plans include Alignment Health BRIDGE 013, Alignment Health ONE 011, Alignment Health Smart 012, DEVOTED GIVEBACK EXTRAS 116 TX, Humana Value Choice, and SCAN Walmart Health Advantage.

How a new plan differs from one that's renewing

A renewing plan — one that was sold in Bexar County for 2026 and is coming back for 2027 — comes with history: a Star Rating, a known provider network, a drug formulary members have already used, and an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) explaining what is shifting on January 1. If you already have a plan and like it, doing nothing means your plan renews with the changes in that notice.

A new plan has an ANOC equivalent — the Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage for its first year — but no yearly comparison, because there is no prior year. CMS also will not list a Star Rating for brand-new contracts right away. None of this makes a new plan a bad choice; it just means the usual at-a-glance comparisons are not available, and you need to read the plan documents more carefully.

How to vet a new plan before December 7

Here is a practical checklist for any 2027 Medicare Advantage plan you are considering, new or renewing:

1. Pull up the plan on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov. Enter your ZIP code and look up the plan by name. 2. Enter every prescription you take, with dose and quantity. The Plan Finder will show which drugs the plan covers, which tier they are on, and what you would pay at pharmacies near you. 3. Check each of your doctors and your preferred hospital in the plan's provider directory. For HMOs and HMO-POS plans, in-network care is usually required except for emergencies. For PPOs, out-of-network care is allowed but typically costs more. 4. For a SNP, confirm you meet the eligibility rules (dual eligibility, qualifying chronic condition, or institutional status). Enrolling in a SNP you do not qualify for will not stick. 5. Read the Summary of Benefits for the specific plan — not a carrier's general brochure — to see the premium, deductible, copays, and any extras. 6. Call the plan directly with any question the documents do not answer, including whether a specific clinic is in network for 2027.

If you want help you did not pay for, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is available 24 hours a day.

What's confirmed for 2027 — and what isn't yet

A few program-wide figures are set for next year. The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026), the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026), and the Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 (a formula input, not what any plan charges you). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet; CMS typically publishes those in the fall.

Also worth remembering: the coverage gap (the old "donut hole") was eliminated in 2025, so Part D now has three phases, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts if you ask your plan.