California · 2026 plan year
Medicare Advantage HMO plans in California
There are 405 Medicare Advantage HMO plans in California from 41 carriers, averaging 3.68 out of 5 stars across the 379 plans CMS has rated. Nearly all charge no monthly plan premium, so what separates them is network, drug coverage and how much you could owe in a bad year.
405
HMO plans
41
Carriers
55
Counties covered
3.7
Avg stars (379 of 405 rated)
$4,349
Avg out-of-pocket max
A $0 plan premium is not a free plan. You still pay your Part B premium to Medicare, plus copays and coinsurance as you use care. Star ratings are published by CMS per contract, so every plan a carrier files under the same contract shares one rating — it describes the carrier’s performance, not this specific plan’s benefits. Estimate your real costs.
California HMO plans rank 31st of 49 on star rating.
Across the 379 rated plans here the average overall rating is 3.68 stars, 31st highest of the 49 states with HMO plans. Ratings apply to the contract, so every plan a carrier files under one contract shares the same score.
Not sure whether Medicare Advantage suits you at all? Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare covers the trade in plain language.
Highest rated
Top-rated HMO plans in California
| Plan | Stars | Out-of-pocket max | Premium / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage LA, Orange Co. (HMO)Kaiser Permanente | 4.5★ | $699 | $0 |
| Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Inland Empire (HMO)Kaiser Permanente | 4.5★ | $1,300 | $0 |
| Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Enhanced Kern (HMO)Kaiser Permanente | 4.5★ | $1,500 | $26 |
| Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage San Diego (HMO)Kaiser Permanente | 4.5★ | $1,800 | $0 |
| Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Ventura (HMO)Kaiser Permanente | 4.5★ | $1,999 | $0 |
Showing 5 of 405. See all CaliforniaMedicare Advantage plans →
Who sells here
HMO plans by carrier
| Carrier | Plans | Avg stars | SNPs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser PermanenteKaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. | 56 | 4.3 | 17 |
| SCAN Health PlanSCAN Group | 56 | 4.0 | 17 |
| UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 46 | 4.0 | 11 |
| Alignment Health PlanAlignment Healthcare USA, LLC | 38 | 4.0 | 11 |
| Anthem Blue CrossElevance Health, Inc. | 32 | 3.0 | 11 |
| Aetna MedicareCVS Health Corporation | 22 | 3.0 | — |
| Central Health Medicare PlanMolina Healthcare, Inc. | 18 | 3.0 | 10 |
| HumanaHumana Inc. | 17 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Anthem Blue Cross Partnership PlanElevance Health, Inc. | 15 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Blue Shield of CaliforniaCalifornia Physicians' Service | 15 | 3.9 | 1 |
| Wellcare By Health NetCentene Corporation | 15 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Astiva HealthAstiva Health Holdings Incorporated | 7 | 4.0 | 3 |
Other plan types in California
How HMO compares
Nearby on quality
States with similar HMO star ratings
Common questions
California Medicare Advantage HMO plans, answered
How much do Medicare Advantage HMO plans cost in California?
Of the California HMO plans with a published premium, 85% charge $0 a month. A $0 premium does not mean the plan is free: you still pay your Part B premium to Medicare, plus copays and coinsurance as you use care. The number that actually caps a bad year is the in-network out-of-pocket maximum, which averages $4,349 across these plans.
What are the star ratings for California HMO plans?
The 379 rated HMO plans in California average 3.68 out of 5 stars, with 221 rating 4 or better. CMS rates a contract rather than an individual plan, so every plan a carrier files under the same contract shares one score. A contract that is too new or has too little data is not rated at all, which is different from rating badly.
How many Medicare Advantage HMO plans are available in California?
There are 405 HMO plans from 41 carriers, sold across 55 counties. Availability is set by county, so the plans you can actually join depend on where you live — the full list is rarely available in any one place. 127 of them are Special Needs Plans with extra eligibility rules (see below).
Do California HMO plans include prescription drug coverage?
405 of the 405 HMO plans here bundle Part D drug coverage into the plan. That is the usual arrangement for Medicare Advantage and there is no separate drug premium for it — the plan premium covers both. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan without drug coverage, you generally cannot add a standalone Part D plan alongside it.
What is a Special Needs Plan, and are there any in California?
127 of the 405 HMO plans in California are Special Needs Plans. SNPs limit enrollment to people who also have Medicaid, live in a nursing home or similar institution, or have a qualifying chronic condition. They often carry richer benefits for that group, but if you do not meet the criteria you cannot join one — so the real number of plans open to you may be lower than the total.
A $0 premium is not the whole cost.
See what a year really looks like.
Simplivera models your actual annual costs across California Medicare Advantage plans.
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