Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a plan in Scottsdale: how Medicare Advantage HMOs, PPOs and SNPs differ

For 2027, Scottsdale is looking at 92 Medicare Advantage plans: 17 new, 13 gone since 2026, and 33 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 13 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Maricopa County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan in Scottsdale can feel like reading a menu in a language you half-remember. HMO. PPO. HMO-POS. D-SNP. C-SNP. Before the letters start to blur, it helps to know what each one actually means — and which kinds of plans are even sold where you live. In Scottsdale, that comes down to what's offered in Maricopa County, where 16 carriers file Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage for 2027.

This guide walks through the plan types you'll see, which carriers offer them locally, and how to think about the differences before you start comparing specific plans.

What "Medicare Advantage" actually is

Medicare Advantage (Part C) is the private-plan alternative to Original Medicare. Instead of the federal government paying your doctors and hospitals directly, a private insurance company is paid by Medicare to run your coverage. In exchange, the plan has to cover everything Original Medicare covers, and most plans bundle in Part D drug coverage plus some extras.

Plans are approved county by county. So even though we're talking about Scottsdale, the availability list is really Maricopa County's list — and it's the same list a neighbor in Phoenix or Mesa would see.

HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS — the plan types, plainly

The letters after a plan name tell you how the network works.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor inside the plan's network, and you generally need a referral to see a specialist. Out-of-network care usually isn't covered except in emergencies. In Maricopa County, 55 of the 88 Medicare Advantage plans are HMOs — the most common shape locally.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Same idea as an HMO, but the plan lets you go outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher cost-share. Sixteen of the county's plans are HMO-POS.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). More flexibility: you can see any provider that accepts Medicare, though staying in-network costs less, and you generally don't need referrals. Seventeen of the county's plans are PPOs.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). These plans set their own payment terms, and any Medicare provider can choose whether to accept them. No PFFS plans are offered in Maricopa County for 2027 — so if you've heard the term, it doesn't apply to Scottsdale for the coming year.

Special Needs Plans: not for everyone, by design

A Special Needs Plan (SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan that only accepts members who fit a specific category. There are three flavors:

• D-SNP (Dual-eligible) — for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition) — for people with a qualifying chronic condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, or end-stage renal disease.
• I-SNP (Institutional) — for people who live in a nursing home or a similar facility, or who need that level of care at home.

Of the 88 Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County, 36 are SNPs. That's a lot of choices, but only if you qualify. If you don't fit one of those categories, a SNP isn't an option for you, no matter how appealing it looks on paper.

Which carriers offer plans in Scottsdale

Sixteen carriers file Medicare Advantage-with-drug plans in Maricopa County for 2027. Listed alphabetically, they are: Aetna (CVS Health), Alignment Health Plan, Banner Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), eternalHealth, Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana, Mercy Care Advantage, Molina Healthcare of Arizona, SCAN Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, and Verda Health Plan of Arizona.

The number of plans each carrier offers varies. A few examples: Humana files 14 plans; Devoted Health files 10; Aetna files 9; UnitedHealthcare files 8; Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare) and SCAN Health Plan each file 6; Alignment Health Plan and Elevance Health (Anthem) each file 5; eternalHealth files 4; Banner Medicare Advantage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Gold Kidney Health Plan and Mercy Care Advantage each file 3; Verda Health Plan of Arizona files 2; and Molina Healthcare of Arizona files 1.

The table below lists every plan by carrier, along with its type and whether it includes drug coverage. Nothing on that list is ranked, and the number of plans a carrier offers doesn't tell you anything about quality — just how many products they've filed.

How to think about the choice

Two questions do most of the work.

First: do you qualify for a Special Needs Plan? If you have Medicaid, a qualifying chronic condition, or you live in an institutional setting, a SNP may be built around your situation. If not, focus on the general HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans.

Second: how important is provider flexibility? If you already have doctors you like and want the freedom to see specialists without a referral or travel out of the network, a PPO's structure may fit. If you're comfortable coordinating care through a primary care doctor inside a defined network, an HMO or HMO-POS may fit.

From there, the specifics — premiums, drug formularies, copays, extra benefits and provider networks — vary plan by plan. Those details live on Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov, and you can compare any plans side by side there.

A few program facts worth knowing for 2027

These apply to every Part D plan, whether it's inside a Medicare Advantage plan or standalone:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once your drug spending hits that limit, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible any plan can charge is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly installments if you'd rather smooth them out over the year.
• IRMAA surcharges — extra premiums for higher-income enrollees — start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.