Medicare changes in Kern County for 2027

If your Medicare plan sent you a letter about next year, keep it close while you read. It has your plan’s full name, its plan number and the date your coverage ends or renews.

Helping a parent, partner or friend? Sit down together with that letter and a list of their medicines. Ask which doctors and services matter most to them before you compare plans.

If your Medicare Advantage plan ends, you do not lose Medicare. If you do not join another plan, you go back to Original Medicare. You still need to decide how you will get your medical care and your drug coverage from January 1.

How many plans are there for 2027?#

Kern County has 42 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, up from 39.

Special needs plans are Medicare Advantage plans for people who also have Medi-Cal, have certain long-term health conditions, or live in a nursing home. Most people cannot join them, so the number of plans you can actually choose from is smaller than the total.

These counts are for plans you buy on your own. They do not include plans from a former employer or union, or Medigap policies.

What new plans are there?#

New Medicare Advantage plans in Kern County for 2027:

• Alignment Health Honor Plus 060 (HMO), from Alignment Health Plan
• Alignment Health My Choice 061 (HMO), from Alignment Health Plan
• Alignment Health Platinum 057 (HMO), from Alignment Health Plan
• Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes 048 (HMO C-SNP), from Alignment Health Plan (a special needs plan, only for some people)
• Alignment Health Heart & Diabetes Plus 039 (HMO C-SNP), from Alignment Health Plan (a special needs plan, only for some people)
• Champion Compass (HMO C-SNP), from Champion Health Plan (a special needs plan, only for some people)
• Champion Home (HMO C-SNP), from Champion Health Plan (a special needs plan, only for some people)
• Champion Secure (HMO C-SNP), from Champion Health Plan (a special needs plan, only for some people)
• Imperial Flex (HMO C-SNP), from Imperial Health Plan of California, Inc. (a special needs plan, only for some people)

Before you choose, check that your doctors, hospitals, medicines and pharmacy work with that exact 2027 plan.

Which plans are ending?#

These 2026 Medicare Advantage plans are not coming back in 2027. If yours is on the list, keep the letter your plan sent you and get help choosing your next plan.

• Central Health Medicare Plan
  • Central Health Classic Care Plan I (HMO), H5649-027
  • Central Health Dual Access Plan (HMO D-SNP), H5649-024
  • Central Health Embrace Care Plan (HMO C-SNP), H5649-025-001
  • Central Health Embrace Choice Plan (HMO C-SNP), H5649-026-001
  • Central Health Valor Care Plan (HMO), H5649-030
• Champion Health Plan
  • Champion Select (HMO-POS C-SNP), H6170-003

Not sure if yours is here? Use the plan search near the top of this page.

Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company and Central Health Medicare Plan will have no Medicare Advantage plan in Kern County in 2027.

One more plan is shrinking the area it serves and is no longer offered in Kern County for 2027:

• Humana Gold Plus H5619-148 (HMO), H5619-148. Some members are being moved into Humana Gold Plus H5619-191 (HMO), which is still offered here.

Your letter says what applies to you.

Which plans have a new name?#

These plans continue in 2027 under a new name or plan number. A new name does not mean the plan is ending, but the benefits may change, so read your letter.

• Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO-POS) is now Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO). It changes from HMO-POS to HMO.
• Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO) is now Aetna Medicare Signature Legacy (HMO).
• AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx CA-MA01 (HMO-POS) is now AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx CA-MA1P (HMO-POS).

2 special needs plans also have a new name. The plan search at the top shows them.

An HMO-POS may let you get some care outside the network for a higher copay. A regular HMO generally covers only emergency and urgent care outside its network. If you see doctors outside the network, ask how your 2027 plan covers that.

Will my plan cost more in 2027?#

14 plans anyone can join continue into 2027. 2 cost more each month, 1 costs less and 11 stay the same. This is the monthly plan premium, on top of the Part B premium.

Good news if you are in one of these plans: it costs less each month in 2027.

• Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus (HMO) (was Aetna Medicare Prime Value Plus): $11.50 to $0 a month

In the table, an arrow shows the 2026 figure, then the 2027 figure. “Extra a year” is the 2027 premium minus the 2026 premium, times 12. The yearly limit is the most you pay in a year for covered medical care in the plan’s network; premiums and drug costs do not count toward it. A drug deductible is what you pay for some medicines before the plan starts paying its share; some plans skip it for lower-cost drugs. Extra Help can lower drug costs for people with limited income and savings.

The best question to ask is: what will we pay over the whole year, for the doctors and medicines we actually use? A $0 premium is only one part of the answer.

Do I need to check my drug plan if I have Original Medicare?#

Yes. If you have Original Medicare, with or without Medigap, look at your separate drug plan too. Drug-only plans are the same across California. 8 of the 10 that continue cost more each month in 2027 and 2 cost less.

See all 10 drug plans and their 2027 premiums

Drug plan	2026	2027	Change per year
AARP Medicare Rx Preferred from UHC	$165.40	$242.60	+$926.40
AARP Medicare Rx Saver from UHC	$109.40	$170.80	+$736.80
Humana Value Rx Plan	$104.60	$130.30	+$308.40
Blue Shield Rx Enhanced	$227.80	$252.60	+$297.60
Humana Premier Rx Plan	$172.90	$191.20	+$219.60
Blue Shield Rx Plus	$199.70	$210	+$123.60
HealthSpring Assurance Rx	$0	$9.30	+$111.60
Wellcare Classic	$6.20	$7.30	+$13.20
Wellcare Value Script	$5.70	$5.30	−$4.80
Humana Basic Rx Plan	$132.20	$118.30	−$166.80

2 drug plans are ending: SilverScript Choice (S5601-064) and HealthSpring Extra Rx (S5617-382). HealthSpring Assurance Rx continues with a new plan number, S5715-049. A new plan number does not always mean a plan is ending.

When you compare drug plans, bring a list of every medicine: the name, the strength, how often you take it, and the pharmacy you use. A lower premium can still cost more if your medicines cost more on that plan.

Can I switch to Medigap if my plan is ending?#

Often, yes. If your Medicare Advantage plan is leaving your area, Medicare gives you the right to buy certain Medigap policies when you go back to Original Medicare. During that window, an insurer cannot turn you down because of your health. This is called a guaranteed issue right.

Medicare says you must apply as early as 60 days before your Medicare Advantage coverage ends, and no later than 63 days after it ends. Medigap does not start on its own: you have to apply. See Medicare’s page on when you can buy Medigap.

Which policies you can buy, and by when, depends on your situation. Keep your plan’s letter, because it can prove your plan ended. UniHealth’s Kern County Medigap page shows the price information we hold. A HICAP counselor can check your rights and dates with you. Your drug coverage needs its own plan.

What should I do before choosing?#

1. Read your 2027 letter. Is your exact plan continuing, merging or ending? Keep the letter.
2. List what you want to keep. Doctors, specialists, hospitals, medicines and pharmacy.
3. Compare the whole cost. Premiums, deductibles, copays and the yearly limit. Ask about help like Extra Help.
4. Check before you sign up. Call your doctor’s office and ask if they take that exact 2027 plan.

Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. A change you make then starts January 1. If your plan is ending, you also have from December 8 to the last day of February to choose a new plan. If you wait past December 7, ask when your new plan would start. See Medicare’s pages on enrollment dates and special enrollment periods.

If you have coverage from a former employer or union, talk to their benefits office before you change anything.

Where can I get free help?#

California’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, HICAP, gives free, confidential one-on-one Medicare counseling to people with Medicare and their families. A counselor can read your letters with you, compare your choices and check your rights. Find your local HICAP office. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE, or see Medicare’s contact page.

UniHealth can help you understand your letters, look up Kern County’s 2027 plans and get your questions ready for that conversation.

This guide covers plans sold to individuals and some of their published costs. It does not compare every benefit, drug list or doctor network. Check the details for your own situation before you enroll.