Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO, D-SNP: decoding Pembroke Pines MA options

People in Pembroke Pines can choose from 106 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 119 this year. 29 of this year’s plans are gone, 16 are new to Broward County, and 60 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 19 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantagePembroke Pines, FL

If you live in Pembroke Pines and are looking at Medicare Advantage for 2026, the first question isn't usually "which plan?" It's "who even offers plans here, and what do all these letters — HMO, PPO, D-SNP — actually mean?" This guide walks through both.

Pembroke Pines sits in Broward County, which is where Medicare draws the lines for plan availability. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape file for 2026, Broward County has 119 Medicare Advantage plans offered by 17 carriers. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage. The county is home to roughly 354,000 people age 65 and older, so it's a large market with a lot of choices on paper.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in Pembroke Pines

Seventeen carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans in Broward County for 2026. In alphabetical order, 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 each carrier offers varies a lot. Some, like American Health Advantage of Florida, AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care and Longevity Health Plan, offer a single plan. Others offer a wider slate — Elevance Health (Anthem) has 23 plans in the county, Humana has 33, and UnitedHealthcare has 15. Devoted Health lists 9, Aetna 7, and Centene (WellCare) 6. Bigger doesn't mean better; it just means more variations to compare. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see the full lineup in one place.

HMO vs. HMO-POS vs. PPO: what actually changes for you

Medicare Advantage plans come in a few standard shapes. In Broward County for 2026, you'll see three of them: HMO, HMO-POS and PPO. Here's what those letters mean at the program level.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor, you use the plan's network, and most non-emergency care outside that network isn't covered. Referrals are often required for specialists. Broward's roster leans heavily this way — 83 of the 119 plans are HMOs.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Same in-network structure as an HMO, but the plan allows some care from out-of-network providers, usually at a higher cost share. There are 13 HMO-POS plans in the county.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to bill the plan, without a referral. In-network care costs less; out-of-network care is covered but costs more. Broward has 23 PPO plans. Some are local PPOs, and some are Regional PPOs that cover a broader multi-county area.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). This is a fourth Medicare Advantage type nationally, where the plan sets the payment terms and any provider who accepts them can treat you. No PFFS plans are being offered in Broward County for 2026, so you won't need to weigh that option locally.

Special Needs Plans: a big share of the local lineup

A Special Needs Plan, or SNP, is a Medicare Advantage plan built for a specific group of people. Of Broward County's 119 plans, 69 are SNPs — a majority of the local market. There are three kinds:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible). For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Benefits are coordinated with Medicaid, and cost-sharing is usually structured around that dual status.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition). For people with a qualifying chronic illness such as diabetes, chronic heart failure, ESRD (kidney disease) or COPD. The plan's network, drug list and care management are built around that condition.
• I-SNP (Institutional). For people who live in a nursing home or need that level of care at home.

You'll see all three types in Broward's roster. As examples from the alphabetical list: Aetna, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana and UnitedHealthcare all offer D-SNPs; carriers such as Gold Kidney Health Plan and Solis Health Plans offer C-SNPs; and American Health Advantage of Florida, Florida Complete Care and Longevity Health Plan offer I-SNPs. To join a SNP, you have to meet its eligibility rules.

Drug coverage is built in

Every one of the 119 Broward plans for 2026 includes Part D prescription drug coverage. That matters because there are zero stand-alone Part D plans listed in the county for 2026 — so if you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan here, your drug coverage comes with it.

A few Part D facts that apply to any plan for 2026:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 for the year. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D deductible can't be more than $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases, not four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread your drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.

How to actually narrow it down

With 119 plans, the goal isn't to compare all of them. It's to filter fast. A few practical steps:

1. Check your doctors and hospitals. If keeping a specific provider matters to you, an HMO's network is stricter than a PPO's. Call the plan or check its online directory before you enroll. 2. Check your drugs. Every plan has its own formulary. The same medicine can be tier 2 on one plan and tier 4 on another. 3. See if a SNP fits. If you have Medicaid, a qualifying chronic condition, or you're in institutional care, a SNP may match your situation better than a general plan. 4. Watch the calendar. Annual Enrollment is Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 – March 31 to switch once.