Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO, SNP: what Fort Wayne's 2026 menu means

For 2027, Fort Wayne is looking at 58 Medicare Advantage plans: 16 new, 10 gone since 2026, and 12 still here but changed in their terms, 6 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Allen County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

If you live in Fort Wayne and are shopping Medicare Advantage for 2027, the first thing worth knowing is not a number — it's a shape. Eight insurers sell Medicare Advantage plans in your area, and they package them in a few different ways: HMOs, HMO-POS plans, PPOs, and a growing group of Special Needs Plans built for specific situations. Understanding how those choices are built will make the rest of shopping much easier.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne is in Allen County, where CMS's 2027 Landscape data shows eight carriers offering Medicare Advantage plans, including Devoted Health, which is new to the county for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health)
• American Health Advantage of Indiana
• Centene (WellCare)
• Elevance Health (Anthem)
• Humana
• Provider Partners Health Plans
• UnitedHealthcare

The full plan-by-plan roster appears in the table below on this page. That's the source to check when you want to see every option side by side. What we're doing here is explaining what the plan types on that list actually mean, so the names are easier to sort through.

HMO, HMO-POS and PPO: the three types on the local menu

Every Medicare Advantage plan in Allen County for 2027 is one of three types. Here's what those labels mean at the program level.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You choose a primary care doctor and generally stay inside the plan's network. Referrals are usually needed for specialists. Out-of-network care is typically not covered except in emergencies. On the local list, HMO plans come from carriers such as American Health Advantage of Indiana, Elevance Health (Anthem) and Provider Partners Health Plans.

HMO-POS (Point of Service). This is an HMO with a limited door to out-of-network care for certain services. It's still network-first, but a bit more flexible. Local HMO-POS plans include options from Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any provider that accepts Medicare and the plan's terms, though staying in-network costs less. Referrals usually aren't required. PPOs are the largest slice of the 2027 lineup in Allen County and are offered by carriers including Aetna, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

You'll also see "Regional PPO" on a few plan names. That's still a PPO — the "regional" part refers to the CMS service area, not a different set of rules for you.

What about PFFS?

Medicare allows a fourth type — Private Fee-for-Service, or PFFS — where the plan sets what it pays providers and beneficiaries can generally see any provider who agrees to those terms. PFFS plans are not on Allen County's 2027 Medicare Advantage menu. If you've heard the term or had one in the past, that's why you won't see it in Fort Wayne next year.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs): a category, not a separate insurer

A Special Needs Plan is a Medicare Advantage plan limited to people who meet specific eligibility rules. There are three kinds, and Allen County has plans in each category from more than one carrier:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible). For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Local examples include Anthem Dual Advantage, Humana Dual Select, and UHC Dual Complete plans.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition). For people with a qualifying chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease or chronic kidney disease. Local examples include Humana Gold Plus – Diabetes and Heart and UHC Complete Care.
• I-SNP (Institutional). For people who live in a nursing facility or need that level of care. Local examples include American Health Advantage of Indiana, Provider Partners Indiana plans, Humana Together in Health and UHC Nursing Home Plan.

You have to qualify to enroll in a SNP. If you don't, these plans simply aren't part of your choice set — even though they're on the county list.

How to use the plan table

The table on this page lists every 2027 Medicare Advantage plan available in Allen County, grouped by carrier. As you scan it, three questions do most of the sorting work:

1. Is the plan an HMO, HMO-POS or PPO? That tells you how network rules will feel day to day. 2. Is there an "-SNP" tag (D-SNP, C-SNP, I-SNP)? If so, check whether you qualify before spending time on it. 3. Does it include drug coverage? In Allen County's 2027 lineup, every Medicare Advantage plan listed includes Part D drug coverage. There are no stand-alone Part D plans reported in the local data for next year, so drug coverage will generally come bundled with your Medicare Advantage plan.

Part D has an annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs of $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs over the year, continues. Those rules apply to the drug coverage inside your Medicare Advantage plan, too.

Dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. Anyone with Medicare can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch to another plan or return to Original Medicare.
• IRMAA: For 2026, Part B and Part D income-related surcharges begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer.