Medicare Advantage

Half of Shreveport's 2026 MA plans are Special Needs

For 2027, Shreveport is looking at 40 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers: 11 new, 10 gone since 2026, and 13 continuing plans with changes to their terms, 9 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Caddo Parish and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Shreveport shoppers looking at Medicare Advantage for 2027 will run into a lot of acronyms — HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, D-SNP, C-SNP, I-SNP. They are not marketing labels. They describe how a plan handles doctors, referrals and specific groups of members, and they can shape your experience more than the name on the card. Here is how the local lineup is organized and what each plan type actually means.

What's on the shelf in Caddo Parish

Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, where CMS lists 40 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers for plan year 2027. Every one includes prescription drug coverage. No stand-alone Part D plans are listed in the area data.

The eight carriers, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Louisiana, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Lagniappe Advantage, and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan, its type and whether it includes drug coverage.

HMO vs. HMO-POS: the network-first plans

An HMO — health maintenance organization — asks you to use doctors and hospitals in the plan's network and typically to pick a primary care doctor who coordinates your care and refers you to specialists. Outside the network, an HMO usually only covers emergencies and urgent care.

An HMO-POS ("point of service") is an HMO with a small door cracked open. Certain services can be used out of network, usually at a higher cost share. It is still built around a network, just with a bit more flexibility for specific situations.

In Caddo Parish, Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Louisiana and Elevance Health (Anthem) offer HMO plans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Centene (WellCare) and UnitedHealthcare offer HMO-POS options. Humana offers both HMO and PPO designs.

PPO: fewer referral rules, more network options

A PPO — preferred provider organization — lets you see any provider that accepts Medicare and the plan's terms, in or out of network, without a referral. You usually pay less when you stay in network. Some PPOs are "local" and some are "regional," which just describes the size of the service area CMS approved.

Several carriers in the local roster include PPO plans alongside HMO and HMO-POS designs. The exact mix by plan type for 2027 is in the CMS Landscape file for Caddo Parish.

What about PFFS?

You may see Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans mentioned in Medicare guides. A PFFS plan sets its own payment terms with providers, and any provider that accepts those terms and is Medicare-approved can treat you. No PFFS plans are listed on the Caddo Parish landscape for 2027 — the local menu is HMO, HMO-POS and PPO only.

Special Needs Plans: built for a specific situation

A Special Needs Plan (SNP) is a Medicare Advantage plan limited to people who meet certain criteria. You cannot join one unless you qualify. 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 condition (for example, diabetes or heart failure).
• I-SNP (Institutional) — for people who live in, or need the level of care provided by, a nursing home or similar setting.

Of the 48 Medicare Advantage plans in Caddo Parish, 24 are SNPs. Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare) and Elevance Health (Anthem) each list Special Needs Plans, and American Health Advantage of Louisiana and Lagniappe Advantage list I-SNPs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Humana and UnitedHealthcare also include D-SNP options in their lineups. If you are not sure whether you qualify for a particular SNP, medicare.gov and your local SHIP counselor can walk you through it.

A few 2027 program facts worth knowing

These apply nationally, not just in Shreveport, and they can shape how any of these plans work for you:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") was eliminated as of 2025 — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly amounts.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.