What are the best Medicare Advantage plans in California?

California has 0 five-star rated Medicare Advantage plans out of 467 total plans - a top-third inventory book (#2 of 49). Average star 3.7. Browse by county to match contracts to your FIPS service area.

How do Medicare Advantage star ratings work?

CMS rates MA plans 1-5 stars on clinical quality, member experience, and operations. California averages 3.7★ - lower-star third (#36 of 49); compare contract-level stars in your county, not only the state mean.

How much do Medicare Advantage plans cost in California?

Average monthly MA premium in California is $17.71 across a wider inventory book; many $0-premium plans trade network flexibility. Confirm on Medicare.gov by county.

How do I enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan in California?

You can enroll during the Annual Election Period (October 15 - December 7) for coverage starting January 1, or during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 - March 31). Visit Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact a licensed Medicare insurance agent in California. You must have Medicare Parts A and B to enroll.

What supplemental benefits do Medicare Advantage plans in California include?

MA plans in California may include dental, vision, hearing, fitness, OTC, or transportation, but a lower-star state mean can constrain how rich extras run. Verify each contract on Medicare.gov.

Medicare Advantage · State · 2026 plan year

Medicare Advantage in California

Name: Medicare Advantage Plans - California
Creator: PlainMedicare
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2026 plan-year files, 467 plans across 58 counties; find your county to compare every plan available where you live.

Compiled by Plainmedicare · September 1, 2026

467
Plans available: 3.7★
Avg CMS rating: $17.71
Avg premium/mo: 0
5-star plans

The short answer

California ranks #2 of 49 by Medicare Advantage plan inventory (467 plans) but #36 by average CMS star (3.70★).

#2
inventory rank: 467
plans statewide: #36
avg star rank: 3.70★
mean CMS rating

Plan inventory and average star are independent CMS signals; a large catalog is not the same as the highest mean quality score.

Product mix · CA plans_unique

How 467 California plans split by CMS plan type

HMO 268 plans (57%) Local PPO 106 plans (23%) HMO POS 93 plans (20%)

Exclusive CMS plan-type codes for this state's representative plans_unique rows, orthogonal to the star-bucket chart below. Source: CMS landscape, 2026.

Wider statewide MA inventory

California in the wider-inventory third

California ranks #2 of 49 states and territories by Medicare Advantage plan count (467 plans) - top-third inventory breadth in the CMS file. According to CMS 2026 plan-year filings, California beneficiaries can choose from 467 distinct Medicare Advantage plans marketed across 58 counties - a top-third inventory book (#2 of 49 by plan count). No plan in this state currently holds the top 5-star tier for the 2026 plan year. County (FIPS) service areas still decide what is sold where you live - open a county below before the October 15 - December 7 Annual Election Period closes.

plans #2/49 · stars #36/49 · 58 counties · avg prem $17.71/mo

Lower-star MA quality band in California

California offers 467 Medicare Advantage plans across 58 counties. Mean star 3.7★ across a wider inventory book (star rank #36/49); compare county contracts, not only the state average. Confirm premiums and networks on <a class="underline" href="https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare/" target="_blank" rel="external noopener">Medicare.gov Plan Compare</a>.

Where California sits on CMS quality

Average CMS star rating across the state's own Medicare Advantage plans, against every state and territory in the CMS file

3.7★ Top 71% higher than 29% of 49 states and territories

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CMS Medicare Advantage Star Ratings 2026 · 2026-09-01

Counties in California

Click a county to see all Medicare Advantage plans available in your area.

Wider inventory markets: start with how to choose a plan then open your county.

Note: PlainMedicare provides publicly available CMS data for informational purposes only. This is not medical or insurance advice. Consult a licensed Medicare counselor or insurance agent before making enrollment decisions. Plan availability and premiums change annually, always verify with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved and formatted by PlainMedicare

Using California's Medicare Advantage market

Plan availability and star ratings vary by county, not just by state.

California beneficiaries can choose from 467 distinct Medicare Advantage plans across 58 counties (#2 of 49 states by plan count) - look up your own county for what's actually sold there. Browse by county
The state's mean CMS star rating ranks #36 of 49 - see how star ratings are built before comparing plans. How star ratings work
Weigh total cost, not just premium: compare plan details using Medicare.gov before you enroll. Medicare Plan Compare

State-level figures average every county's filings; the plans actually sold where you live can differ from the state total.

PlainMedicare is rendered directly from CMS Medicare Advantage and Part D public files, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a correction. Data current as of 2026-09-01.

CMS lists 131,985 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan records in the current public files. PlainMedicare refreshes this registry with each annual release.