Medicare enrollment dates
See your seven-month Initial Enrollment Period, your earliest coverage date and your Medigap open enrollment window.
Medicare
Medicare Advantage Plans in Chandler, AZ
Medicare Advantage, also called Part C, is a Medicare approved plan from a private company that takes over paying your Part A and Part B benefits. Most plans include drug coverage and some extras. The plans look alike in an advert and behave very differently when you actually need care, so Viola starts with your doctors and your prescriptions, not the brochure.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Rise Up Benefits Group is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. Medicare has neither endorsed nor reviewed this information.
In clients' words
What working with Viola looks like
I’m very happy I went to Viola at Rise up Benefits Group for my Medicare enrollment. I was inundated with mail and way too much information. I have been with Champ VA for 9 years so it gets confusing what to sign up for without losing those benefits as they become secondary. Viola explained everything and picked out the best option for me. I highly recommend her as it made this transition very smooth.
Verbatim client reviews from the agency's public profiles (5.0 stars from 49 Google reviews). Read all reviews.
What to know before you choose
There is a lot to choose from here. For CY2027, the CMS Landscape lists 52 Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County from 13 insurance companies, not counting Special Needs Plans. 45 of them include Part D drug coverage, 50 have a $0 Part C premium, and in-network out-of-pocket limits run from $2,000 to $8,900 a year (CY2027, CMS Landscape). Next door in Pinal County, home to San Tan Valley, Queen Creek's southern edge and Casa Grande, the same file lists 47 plans from 10 companies. That spread is exactly why picking a plan from a TV advert goes wrong so often.
A $0 premium plan still has costs. You keep paying your Part B premium to Medicare, which is $202.90 a month in 2026 for most people, and you pay copays and coinsurance as you use care, up to the plan's maximum out-of-pocket. The 2027 Part B premium is announced by CMS around November 2026. What really decides your cost for the year is whether your doctors are in the network and how your prescriptions are priced on the plan's drug list.
So the review Viola does is deliberately practical. She lists every doctor, specialist and hospital you use and checks each one against the 2027 network. She enters each prescription with its dose and checks the tier, the price at the pharmacy you actually use, and whether anything needs prior authorization or has a quantity limit. She reads the maximum out-of-pocket with you and explains what a hard year would really cost. Then she shows you the side by side and you decide. Nobody is rushed into anything.
Plan types matter more than most people expect, so here is how the 2027 plans in our two counties break down by type, counted from the CMS CY2027 Landscape file (Special Needs Plans are counted separately). Premiums are the Part C premium only, and the out-of-pocket maximum is the most you pay in a year for covered in-network medical care.
HMO plans for 2027 (CMS Landscape). Maricopa County: 29 plans, 28 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0.69 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $4,305, 1 without drug coverage. Pinal County: 25 plans, 24 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0.80 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $4,458, 1 without drug coverage. An HMO usually keeps you inside its network except for emergencies and urgent care, and often asks for a referral before you see a specialist. It tends to fit people who get their care close to home and like one primary doctor coordinating it.
PPO plans for 2027 (CMS Landscape). Maricopa County: 14 plans, 14 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $6,046, 3 without drug coverage. Pinal County: 14 plans, 14 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $6,046, 3 without drug coverage. A PPO lets you see doctors outside its network at a higher cost, usually without referrals. It tends to fit people who travel, split the year between Arizona and another state, or want more freedom to choose specialists.
HMO-POS plans for 2027 (CMS Landscape). Maricopa County: 7 plans, 7 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $4,564, 2 without drug coverage. Pinal County: 6 plans, 6 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $0 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $4,133, 1 without drug coverage. An HMO-POS is an HMO with a point of service option: you mostly stay in network, but some services can be used out of network at a higher cost. It tends to fit people who want HMO style coordination with a little room for care elsewhere.
Regional PPO plans for 2027 (CMS Landscape). Maricopa County: 2 plans, 1 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $39.45 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $6,575, 1 without drug coverage. Pinal County: 2 plans, 1 with a $0 Part C premium, average Part C premium $39.45 a month, average in-network out-of-pocket maximum $6,575, 1 without drug coverage. A Regional PPO works like a PPO but is offered across a whole Medicare Advantage region rather than county by county. It tends to fit people who move around the region and want out-of-network flexibility.
Special Needs Plans are a separate group, built for people with Medicaid (AHCCCS) and Medicare together, certain chronic conditions, or who live in a facility. Viola explains which kinds fit your life before you look at a single plan name.
Here is what a bad year can look like, as an illustration only, not a quote. Say you are on a $0 premium plan and have a hospital stay plus follow up care that pushes you to the plan's in-network out-of-pocket maximum. In Maricopa County the CY2027 maximums run from $2,000 to $8,900 (CMS Landscape). Add twelve months of the 2026 Part B premium, $202.90 times 12, which is $2,434.80. On a plan with the lowest maximum, your Part B premiums plus covered in-network medical costs for that year come to about $4,434.80; on a plan with the highest, about $11,334.80. Prescription costs are counted separately under Part D, and the 2027 Part B premium is announced around November 2026, so treat this as a way to read the maximum, not a prediction of your bill.
If you want a second, unbiased opinion, Arizona SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, offers Medicare counseling at no cost, and Viola is happy for you to use it. Annual Enrollment for 2027 coverage runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and changes take effect January 1. Networks, drug lists and extras change every year, which is why Viola reviews your plan with you every fall instead of letting it roll over unexamined. After you enroll she makes sure you know what you have, how to use it and what it covers, and when a claim or a pharmacy bill does not look right in March, you call her, not a call center.
How Viola helps
- Doctor by doctor network check for the 2027 plan year, including specialists and your hospital
- Prescription by prescription drug list check: tier, pharmacy price, prior authorization and quantity limits
- Maximum out-of-pocket explained in plain English, so you know what a bad year could cost
- Extras compared honestly: dental, vision, hearing, fitness and over-the-counter allowances
- HMO, PPO and Special Needs Plan trade-offs explained before you choose
- A review every Annual Enrollment Period, and one phone number the rest of the year
Who it fits
You are turning 65, new to Medicare, or already on a plan that changed for 2027. You want one plan that handles most of your care, and you want someone to confirm your own doctors and prescriptions before you sign anything.
Does a $0 premium Medicare Advantage plan cost nothing?
No. "$0" describes the plan premium only. You still pay your Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026 for most people) plus copays and coinsurance when you use care, up to the plan's yearly out-of-pocket limit. Your real cost depends on whether your doctors are in network and how your drugs are priced, which is what Viola checks first.
Sources: CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2027) ; 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026) . Reviewed 2026-10-13.
Tools
Run the numbers first
Free calculators for this coverage. Results are estimates, not quotes.
Part B penalty calculator
See how much a late start on Part B adds to your premium, every month, for as long as you have Part B.
Part D penalty calculator
See what going without drug coverage adds to your Part D premium, for as long as you keep Part D.
IRMAA calculator
See whether your income adds a surcharge to your Part B and Part D premiums, and how much.
Medigap vs Advantage costs
Compare what each path could cost you in a typical year and in a heavy-use year.
Guides
Related guides
Medicare Advantage vs Supplement in Arizona
Two different ways to fill the gaps in Original Medicare. One trades a lower monthly cost for a network and copays; the other trades a higher premium for predictability and freedom. Here is how to decide in Arizona, where switching back later can be hard.
Types of Medicare Advantage Plans in Arizona
HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, Regional PPO, PFFS, Special Needs Plans and MSAs: how each Medicare Advantage plan type works, and which types are offered in Maricopa and Pinal counties for 2027.
How to Check Your Doctors and Drugs in a Medicare Plan
The two checks that decide whether a Medicare plan works for you: is your doctor really in network for 2027, and how does the plan cover your prescriptions? A step-by-step method for East Valley residents.
Your Annual Medicare Review Checklist for Arizona
Medicare plans change every January. Here is a step-by-step checklist for reviewing your coverage during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7, 2026, before your 2027 plan starts.
FAQ
Medicare Advantage: common questions
Does a $0 premium Medicare Advantage plan cost nothing?
No. "$0" describes the plan premium only. You still pay your Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026 for most people) plus copays and coinsurance when you use care, up to the plan's yearly out-of-pocket limit. Your real cost depends on whether your doctors are in network and how your drugs are priced, which is what Viola checks first.
When can I join or switch Medicare Advantage plans for 2027?
Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and changes take effect January 1, 2027. If you are new to Medicare, your Initial Enrollment Period is the seven months around your 65th birthday month.
If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, allows one change. Moves, loss of other coverage and some other events can open a Special Enrollment Period.
What happens if my doctor leaves my Medicare Advantage network?
A doctor leaving the network mid-year does not by itself let you change plans. You would usually move to another in-network doctor, or pay out-of-network costs, which on many HMOs means paying the full bill.
That is why Viola checks every provider before you enroll and again every fall.
Can I switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare and a Medigap plan?
You can return to Original Medicare during Annual Enrollment or the January to March Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. Getting a Medigap plan afterwards is the harder part: outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed issue right, insurance companies can ask health questions and decline you.
Understand that before your first enrollment, not after.
Do I need to live in a plan's service area to join?
Yes. You must have Medicare Part A and Part B and live in the plan's service area, which is usually set by county. Plans available in Maricopa County can differ from those in Pinal County, so the comparison starts with your ZIP code.
We speak insurance, so you don't have to.
Medicare Advantage in Chandler and across Arizona: no pressure, plain answers, and a review every year.
2160 North Alma School Road, Suite 102, Chandler, AZ 85224 · (480) 300-5776