Medicare Advantage

HMO or PPO? Indiana Medicare Advantage for 2027: 60 HMO Plans, 80 PPO

INDIANAPOLIS — When Indiana's Medicare Advantage shelf opens for the 2027 plan year, the lineup tips toward preferred provider organizations. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File for 2027, the state has 140 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers, split 60 HMO (counting HMO and HMO-POS together) and 80 PPO. Each plan is counted once statewide, and availability is set county by county, so a plan listed here may or may not appear on your doorstep.

That one line — 60 HMO versus 80 PPO — is the frame for the choice ahead during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2026. A plan selected in that window takes effect January 1, 2027.

The statewide split by type

CMS's 2027 Landscape file for Indiana shows 27 HMO plans, 33 HMO-POS plans and 80 PPO plans. Add the two HMO flavors together and you get 60 HMO-family plans compared with 80 PPOs. Twelve carriers are contributing to the shelf.

Those are statewide totals. A rural county may show a shorter menu; a metro county may show a longer one. The county-level view is on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov, which pulls from the same CMS Landscape data.

What HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS mean

These four letters describe how a plan handles its network and how it treats care received outside of it.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): You generally use in-network doctors and hospitals, and plans often ask you to pick a primary care provider and get referrals to see specialists. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except in emergencies.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service): An HMO with a point-of-service option, meaning the plan may cover certain services out of network under specific rules spelled out in the plan's Evidence of Coverage.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): You can see in-network or out-of-network providers who accept the plan, usually without a referral. Out-of-network care is covered, though cost-sharing rules differ from in-network care.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service): A separate plan type where any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to the plan's terms can treat you. The 2027 Indiana Landscape file lists HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans; PFFS is explained here only so you recognize the term.

The exact rules, including referral requirements and how out-of-network claims are handled, live in each plan's Evidence of Coverage.

Which carriers offer each type

Carrier mix matters because the name on your card determines the directory, formulary and member services you deal with every day. For 2027, the CMS Landscape file lists these Indiana participants by type:

• HMO carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Indiana, Communicare Advantage, Elevance Health (Anthem), Essence Healthcare, Humana, MyTruAdvantage, Provider Partners Health Plans, Zing Health.
• HMO-POS carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, UnitedHealthcare.
• PPO carriers: Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Essence Healthcare, Humana, MyTruAdvantage, UnitedHealthcare, Zing Health.

Some carriers appear in more than one column — Aetna (CVS Health), Elevance Health (Anthem) and Humana show up on all three HMO, HMO-POS and PPO lists, for example — while others concentrate in one lane. The full plan-by-plan lists appear in the tables elsewhere on this page.

How to decide which type fits your doctors and travel

The simplest way to pick between HMO, HMO-POS and PPO is to start with the people and places you already use.

• Make a short list of your primary care provider, specialists, preferred hospital and pharmacy, plus any routine prescriptions.
• Think about geography. If you live in Indiana year-round and get care close to home, an HMO or HMO-POS can be a clean fit. If you split time with family in another state or travel often, a PPO's out-of-network coverage may matter more.
• Think about referrals. If you prefer going straight to a specialist, note that HMOs are more likely to require a referral; PPOs typically do not.
• Check each plan's directory and formulary on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or in the plan's Evidence of Coverage, so you can see whether your doctors are in-network and your drugs are covered under the plan's rules.

No plan type is universally better — the fit depends on your providers, your prescriptions and how you use care during the year.

What to do before December 7

The Annual Enrollment Period for 2027 coverage runs from October 15 through December 7, 2026. A reasonable sequence:

1. Read the Annual Notice of Change your current plan sends if you already have Medicare Advantage; it describes what is changing for 2027. 2. Write down your doctors, hospitals, pharmacy and medications. 3. Use the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov to compare the plans actually offered in your county for 2027. 4. For any plan you are considering, open the Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage to confirm referral rules and out-of-network terms. 5. Enroll by December 7, 2026, for a January 1, 2027 start date.

If December 7 passes and you need to make a change, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 – March 31, 2027, with its own narrower rules. CMS explains the enrollment periods at medicare.gov.

Free help

You don't have to sort this out alone, and you don't have to pay to get answers.

• medicare.gov — the Medicare Plan Finder lets you enter your ZIP code, pharmacy and medications and compare the plans available in your county.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) — available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with TTY service for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Each plan's own materials — the Evidence of Coverage, Summary of Benefits and provider and pharmacy directories are the authoritative source for what a specific plan covers.