Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a Louisville Advantage plan, know the shape

Jefferson County has 67 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 13 plans are not coming back, 13 are new, and 23 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Louisville, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageLouisville, KY

LOUISVILLE — If you are shopping for a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan here, the first thing to sort out is not price or perks. It is the shape of the plan: who sells it, and what kind of network rules it follows. Louisville sits in Jefferson County, where CMS lists 58 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 from 10 carriers. Knowing how HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and Special Needs Plans differ will make the rest of the decision a lot easier.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in Louisville

Ten carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans in Jefferson County for 2027. In alphabetical order, they are Abilis Health, Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Indiana, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Essence Healthcare, Humana, Passport Advantage and UnitedHealthcare.

The number of plans each carrier offers in the county varies. Abilis Health lists 2 plans, Aetna lists 5, Centene lists 9, Devoted Health lists 4, Elevance Health lists 6, Essence Healthcare lists 2, Humana lists 25, Passport Advantage lists 1, Provider Partners Health Plans lists 1, and UnitedHealthcare lists 12. A bigger plan count is not the same as a better fit — what matters is whether a specific plan works with your doctors, medicines and budget. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

HMO, HMO-POS and PPO: how the network works

Most of the plans in the county fall into three network types. Here is what each one means at the program level.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor and generally use in-network providers. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except in emergencies. Referrals may be required to see specialists. In Jefferson County, 15 plans are HMOs.

HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Same basic idea as an HMO, but the plan lets you go out of network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. Seventeen of the county's plans are HMO-POS.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see any Medicare-approved provider without a referral, but you pay less when you stay in network. PPOs make up the largest share of the county's lineup at 35 plans, and they include both local and regional PPOs.

PFFS plans: what to know

You may have seen the term PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) in Medicare guides. A PFFS plan sets its own payment terms with providers, and any provider who accepts those terms can treat you. In Jefferson County's 2027 lineup, no PFFS plans are listed by the carriers above — the plans here are HMO, HMO-POS or PPO. It is still worth understanding the term, because it may appear in other counties or in future years.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs): a different kind of choice

Special Needs Plans are Medicare Advantage plans built for people in specific situations. They still use an HMO or PPO structure, but eligibility is limited. Twenty-eight of the 67 plans in Jefferson County are SNPs. There are three kinds:

• D-SNP (Dual Eligible). For people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
• C-SNP (Chronic Condition). For people with a qualifying chronic illness, such as diabetes, heart conditions or chronic kidney disease.
• I-SNP (Institutional). For people who live in a nursing home or need a nursing-home level of care at home.

Carriers offering SNPs in the county include Abilis Health, Aetna, Centene, Devoted Health, Elevance Health, Humana, Passport Advantage, Provider Partners Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare. If you are not eligible for one of these categories, an SNP is not an option — but if you are, they can be worth a close look.

Drug coverage is baked in

All 58 Medicare Advantage plans in Jefferson County for 2027 include Part D drug coverage. CMS also shows 0 stand-alone Part D plans available in the area — if you go with Medicare Advantage here, your prescription coverage travels with the plan rather than being purchased separately.

A few Part D facts to keep in mind for 2027:

• The out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,100.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") has been gone since 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly bills, if you choose.

Dates to circle

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• Jan. 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one switch — to another Medicare Advantage plan or back to Original Medicare.