Medicare Advantage

What do HMO, PPO and SNP letters mean for you?

For 2027, Fort Lauderdale is looking at 106 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 29 gone since 2026, and 60 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 19 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Broward County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Fort Lauderdale shoppers opening the 2026 Medicare Advantage lineup will see familiar national names, Florida-focused insurers and a mix of plan types with letters after them — HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and several kinds of Special Needs Plans. Knowing what those labels mean is the fastest way to narrow a long list into a short one.

Fort Lauderdale is in Broward County, where Medicare Advantage plans are approved and sold. For 2026, CMS lists 119 Medicare Advantage plans in Broward County from 17 carriers, and every one of them includes prescription drug coverage. This piece walks through who the carriers are and how the plan types differ, so you can look at the full table below with more confidence.

Who is selling Medicare Advantage in Broward County for 2026

Seventeen carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans in the county this year. Listed alphabetically, they are: Aetna (CVS Health), Align Senior Care, American Health Advantage of Florida, AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Doctors HealthCare Plans, Elevance Health (Anthem), Florida Blue, Florida Blue HMO, Florida Complete Care, Gold Kidney Health Plan, Humana, Longevity Health Plan, Solis Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare.

The number of plans per carrier varies widely. Some carriers offer only one or two plans in the county, while others offer more than a dozen. The table below lists every plan by carrier. A bigger plan count is not a sign of a "better" carrier — it just means the insurer has filed more product variations. What matters for you is whether a plan's rules and network fit your life.

HMO, HMO-POS and PPO: what the letters mean

Most of the Broward County lineup falls into three plan types.

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan uses a set network of doctors and hospitals. You usually pick a primary care doctor, and referrals are often required to see a specialist. Out-of-network care is generally not covered except in emergencies. Of the 119 plans in the county, 83 are HMOs.

An HMO-POS (Point of Service) plan is an HMO with a limited ability to go outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. Broward County has 13 HMO-POS plans on the 2026 list.

A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan lets you see any Medicare-approved provider, in or out of network, though staying in network costs less. Referrals are typically not required. There are 23 PPO plans in the county for 2026, offered by Aetna, Florida Blue, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

You may also hear about PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans. These plans set their own payment terms and let you see any provider who agrees to those terms. No PFFS plans are on Broward County's 2026 list, so that choice is not on the table locally this year.

Special Needs Plans: who qualifies and why they exist

Special Needs Plans, or SNPs, are Medicare Advantage plans built for specific groups. To enroll, you must meet the plan's eligibility rules. Broward County has 69 SNPs on the 2026 list — more than half of all the plans available. There are three flavors:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible) — for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Many D-SNPs coordinate benefits between the two programs.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition) — for people with a qualifying long-term condition, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure, chronic lung disorders or end-stage renal disease. The plan's benefits and drug list are shaped around that condition.
• I-SNP (Institutional) — for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care at home.

Several carriers in the roster focus heavily on SNPs, including Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Devoted Health. Others offer a mix of general and SNP plans. If you do not meet SNP eligibility rules, you would look at the non-SNP options.

Drug coverage is built in — but the 2026 Part D rules still apply

Every 2026 Medicare Advantage plan in Broward County includes prescription drug coverage (these are called MA-PD plans). CMS also lists zero stand-alone Part D plans in the area — but that count reflects a data view, not a product shortage; stand-alone Part D plans exist statewide, and you would only pair one with Original Medicare, not with an MA-PD.

A few 2026 Part D rules apply to any MA-PD you consider:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for 2026. Once your covered drug spending hits that amount, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible can be no higher than $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025 — there are now three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs into monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It is optional and free to opt into.
• IRMAA surcharges (extra premiums for higher earners) start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

How to actually use the table below

The table lists all 119 Broward County plans grouped by carrier. A useful way to shrink it down:

1. Decide whether you want an HMO-style plan (lower cost, narrower rules) or a PPO (more freedom, usually higher cost). 2. Check whether you qualify for a SNP. If you have Medicaid, a qualifying chronic condition or live in a nursing facility, SNPs may be a fit. 3. Once you have three or four candidates, use the Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare premiums, drug coverage for your specific medications, and whether your doctors are in network.

Enrollment windows to remember: the Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 for changes that take effect Jan. 1. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 through March 31 and lets people already in a Medicare Advantage plan make one change.