Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO or SNP? Sorting Wayne County's 90 Plans

For 2027, Detroit is looking at 86 Medicare Advantage plans: 12 new, 16 gone since 2026, and 37 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Wayne County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageDetroit, MI

If you are shopping for Medicare Advantage in Detroit this fall, the first question is not "which plan?" It is "which kind of plan?" Detroit is in Wayne County, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage menu includes 81 plans from 16 carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. Those plans come in a few very different shapes — HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and Special Needs Plans — and understanding those shapes is what makes the rest of the decision easier.

This piece walks through who is selling in the county, and what each plan type actually means for how you get care.

Who offers Medicare Advantage in Wayne County

For 2027, these 16 carriers have Medicare Advantage plans available in Wayne County (listed alphabetically, with the count each offers):

• Aetna (CVS Health): 9 plans
• Align Senior Care: 2 plans
• AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care: 1 plan
• Blue Care Network: 5 plans
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: 7 plans
• Centene (WellCare): 6 plans
• HAP CareSource MI Coordinated Health: 1 plan
• Health Alliance Plan by Henry Ford Health: 11 plans
• Humana: 16 plans
• Longevity Health Plan: 1 plan
• McLaren Medicare: 3 plans
• Molina Healthcare of Michigan: 1 plan
• Priority Health Medicare: 11 plans
• Trinity Health Plan of Michigan: 3 plans
• UnitedHealthcare: 5 plans
• Zing Health: 8 plans

The table below lists every plan by carrier, in alphabetical order. A larger count from one carrier does not mean the plans are broader or narrower — it usually means they slice their product line into more options. What matters for you is which plan type, and which doctors and hospitals, sit behind the name.

HMO plans: the biggest bucket, and the tightest network

Of the 90 plans in Wayne County, 31 are HMOs. In an HMO — a Health Maintenance Organization — you pick a primary care doctor, and you generally need to stay inside the plan's network for care to be covered. Out-of-network care is usually only covered in an emergency.

Many HMOs also ask your primary care doctor to give you a referral before you see a specialist. In exchange for that structure, HMOs often have simpler cost-sharing.

Examples from the county roster include BCN Advantage ConnectedCare (HMO), HAP Medicare Connect (HMO), Henry Ford Select (HMO) and McLaren Medicare Inspire (HMO). See the table for the full list.

HMO-POS: an HMO with a side door

Eighteen of the 90 plans are HMO-POS. The "POS" stands for point of service. Think of it as an HMO that lets you step outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. The rules for what is covered out-of-network vary from plan to plan, so it is worth reading the plan's summary of benefits carefully.

Examples on the Wayne County roster include Aetna Medicare Prime Care (HMO-POS), BCN Advantage Classic (HMO-POS), Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) and several PriorityMedicare (HMO-POS) plans.

PPO plans: more flexibility, different trade-offs

PPOs — Preferred Provider Organizations — make up the largest slice in Wayne County at 41 plans. A PPO does not require a primary care doctor or referrals, and it does cover care from doctors and hospitals outside the network, though usually at a higher share of the cost.

You will see both local PPOs and regional PPOs on the shelf. The Wayne County list includes plans such as Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO), several Medicare Plus Blue (PPO) plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, HAP Medicare Explore (PPO), several Humana Full Access (PPO) plans, AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC (PPO) options and Zing Open Choice MI (PPO).

What about PFFS?

You may have read about PFFS — Private Fee-for-Service — plans. In a PFFS plan, the insurer sets what it will pay providers, and any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to those terms can see you. PFFS plans still exist across the country, but they are not part of the 2027 Wayne County lineup based on the CMS landscape file. Every plan in the county is either an HMO, HMO-POS or PPO.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs): built for a specific situation

Twenty-one of the 90 plans in Wayne County are Special Needs Plans. SNPs are Medicare Advantage plans limited to people who meet a specific condition. There are three types:

• D-SNP (Dual-eligible): for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Examples in the county include AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care (HMO D-SNP), HAP CareSource MI Coordinated Health (HMO D-SNP), Molina Dual MI Coordinated Health (HMO D-SNP), UHC Dual Complete MI-Y1 (HMO D-SNP) and Wellcare Meridian Dual Align (HMO D-SNP).
• C-SNP (Chronic condition): for people with a qualifying chronic condition, such as diabetes, heart disease or chronic kidney disease. Examples include Aetna Medicare Chronic Care (HMO C-SNP), HAP Medicare Diabetes and Heart (HMO C-SNP), HumanaChoice - Diabetes and Heart (PPO C-SNP), UHC Complete Care Support MI-3 (PPO C-SNP) and several Zing C-SNPs.
• I-SNP (Institutional): for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care. Examples include Longevity Health Plan (HMO I-SNP), and the Align Senior Care Premier Care and Senior Care plans.

SNPs are not open to everyone. If you do not meet the eligibility rule for the specific SNP, you cannot enroll in that plan.

Drug coverage and the 2027 rules that apply to all of them

All 81 Medicare Advantage plans in Wayne County include Part D drug coverage. That matters, because there are no stand-alone Part D plans listed in the Wayne County landscape file for 2027 — the drug benefit is built into these Medicare Advantage plans.

A few 2027 program-level facts worth keeping in mind while you compare:

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

When you can make a change

The Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7 each year — that is the main window to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the following year. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31 to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.