Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan in Atlanta: how HMO, PPO and PFFS differ

For 2027, Atlanta is looking at 90 Medicare Advantage plans: 9 new, 16 gone since 2026, and 29 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Fulton County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ATLANTA — Fall 2026. As the Annual Enrollment Period opens, shoppers in Atlanta are seeing a 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup that leans heavily toward PPO plans, with HMOs a close second and a single PFFS plan rounding out the menu. The plan type you pick shapes two everyday questions: which doctors you can see, and whether you need a referral to see them.

In Fulton County — the county Atlanta sits in — 90 Medicare Advantage plans from 10 carriers are offered for 2027, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. By type, that is 47 PPO plans, 28 HMO plans, 14 HMO-POS plans, and 1 PFFS plan. (HMO plus HMO-POS together comes to 42.) The full roster is in the table below.

How the 2027 Atlanta-area plans split by type

Fulton County's 90 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 break down this way:

• PPO: 47 plans. Offered by Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Clover Health, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare.
• HMO: 28 plans. Offered by Aetna (CVS Health), Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, and PruittHealth Premier.
• HMO-POS: 14 plans. Offered by Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.
• PFFS: 1 plan. Offered by Humana.

These are county-level counts from CMS. Availability can look different a few ZIP codes away, and not every plan is open to every shopper — some are Special Needs Plans (SNPs) built for people with Medicaid, certain chronic conditions, or who live in a nursing home.

What each plan type actually means

The letters on the end of a plan name matter more than they look.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor, use the plan's network for care, and usually need a referral to see a specialist. Care outside the network generally isn't covered except for emergencies, urgent care, and out-of-area dialysis. HMOs are built around a defined local network.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). It works like an HMO, but with a limited ability to go outside the network for certain services — often at a higher cost share. The specifics (which services, how much more) vary plan by plan.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to treat you, in or out of network. Out-of-network care is covered, but usually at a higher cost. Referrals typically aren't required.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who accepts the plan's payment terms, visit by visit. There is no classic network, but a provider is free to decline the plan, so it is smart to confirm before each appointment.

None of this is a judgment about which type is "better." The right type is the one that fits the doctors you want to keep, the drugs you take, and how you travel.

Which carriers offer which type in Fulton County

For 2027, the type-by-carrier picture looks like this:

• HMO plans: Aetna (CVS Health), Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, PruittHealth Premier.
• HMO-POS plans: Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealthcare.
• PPO plans: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Clover Health, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, UnitedHealthcare.
• PFFS plans: Humana.

Some carriers offer more than one type — Elevance Health (Anthem), for instance, appears in all three HMO/HMO-POS/PPO rows — so if you like a brand, check whether it offers the plan structure you want.

What's changing for 2027

For plan year 2027 in Fulton County, 16 plans from 2026 are not returning, 9 plans are new, and 9 have been renamed. If your current plan is renewing, the specifics of what's changing — provider network, drug list, cost sharing, extra benefits — are in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mails each fall. If your plan isn't returning, you'll receive a non-renewal notice and you'll have time to pick another plan.

A few program-level numbers for 2027 are already set by CMS:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 in 2027 (it is $2,100 in 2026).
• The Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 in 2027 (it is $615 in 2026).
• The Part D national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 — a formula input, not what any plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, had not been announced as of early fall 2026; CMS typically publishes those figures later in the fall.

How to match a plan type to your life

A few questions worth asking before Dec. 7:

1. Who are your doctors, and are they in the plan's network? For HMOs and HMO-POS plans, in-network is usually the whole deal. For PPOs, it still matters — out-of-network costs more. For PFFS, call the office and confirm they'll accept the plan. 2. Do you travel or spend part of the year elsewhere? PPOs and PFFS plans tend to be more forgiving of care outside your home area; HMOs are typically tightest. 3. Do you mind getting a referral to see a specialist? HMOs usually require one; PPOs usually don't. 4. What prescriptions do you take? All 90 plans for 2027 include drug coverage, but formularies and tiers vary. The Medicare Plan Finder lets you enter your drug list and see how each plan treats it.

Dates to keep in mind

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Any change you make takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to another MA plan once, or go back to Original Medicare.
• Do nothing? Your current plan renews for 2027 if it is being offered again, with the changes described in its ANOC.