Medicare Advantage

Kansas City Medicare Advantage for 2027: how HMO, PPO and PFFS plans compare before you pick

Jackson County has 65 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 11 plans are not coming back, 12 are new, and 36 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 16 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Kansas City, not which plan to pick.

Kansas City, Mo. — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, shoppers in Jackson County will see Medicare Advantage plans sorted into four letters that do a lot of quiet work: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS. The letters decide whether you need a referral to see a specialist, whether an out-of-town doctor is covered, and how tight your network is. For 2027, the county's 65 Medicare Advantage plans split fairly evenly between network-first and network-flexible designs, so the plan type is often the first filter worth using — before premiums, before extras, before anything else.

How the Jackson County lineup splits for 2027

Kansas City is in Jackson County, where Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For plan year 2027, the county has 65 Medicare Advantage plans from 8 carriers. By type:

• HMO: 21 plans
• HMO-POS: 18 plans
• PPO: 24 plans
• PFFS: 2 plans

Grouped a different way, the HMO family (HMO plus HMO-POS) accounts for 39 of the 65 plans, with PPOs close behind at 24 and PFFS a small specialty slice. The table below lists every plan on this page by carrier and type.

What HMO means

A Health Maintenance Organization plan is built around a network. You pick a primary care doctor, and that doctor coordinates most of your care. Specialists are usually seen by referral, and routine care from a provider outside the plan's network generally is not covered except in an emergency or for urgent care. HMO plans often appeal to people whose doctors and hospitals are already inside one local system and who do not travel for months at a time.

For 2027, carriers offering HMO plans in Jackson County include Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Missouri, Devoted Health, Humana, NHC Advantage and Provider Partners Health Plans.

What HMO-POS adds

HMO-POS stands for "HMO with a Point-of-Service option." It is an HMO at its core — same referral culture, same in-network emphasis — but it allows limited out-of-network coverage for certain services. The exact rules differ a lot from plan to plan: one HMO-POS may let you see out-of-network dentists, another may extend to specific medical services, usually with a higher cost share. If you like how an HMO coordinates care but want a safety valve for specific situations, this is the type to look at closely.

Carriers offering HMO-POS plans in Jackson County for 2027 include Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

What PPO means — and when it matters

A Preferred Provider Organization plan still has a network, and in-network care costs less. The difference is that out-of-network providers are also covered, generally at a higher share of the bill, as long as they accept the plan. Referrals to specialists are usually not required. PPOs tend to be a fit for people who split time between states, see specialists on their own schedule, or want the room to try a provider outside the preferred list without losing coverage.

Carriers offering PPO plans in Jackson County for 2027 include Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

What PFFS means (and why it's rare)

Private Fee-for-Service is the smallest category — 2 plans in the county for 2027, both from Humana. A PFFS plan pays doctors and hospitals a set amount, and any Medicare-approved provider can treat you if they agree to the plan's payment terms for that visit. There is no required network in the traditional sense, but there is also no guarantee a given provider will accept the plan on a given day. If you are considering a PFFS plan, confirm acceptance with each provider you use before enrolling.

Picking a type: a practical order

Plan type is not about which design is "better" — it is about which design fits your life. A workable order:

1. List the doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies you actually use. 2. Note how often you travel outside the Kansas City metro and for how long. 3. Decide how you feel about referrals and primary-care coordination. 4. Then look up specific plans on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov and check each one against your list.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026. If you do nothing, your current plan renews on Jan. 1, 2027 with the changes described in its Annual Notice of Change, so it is worth reading that notice even if you plan to stay put. For 2027 in Jackson County, 11 plans are not returning, 12 are new, and 16 have been renamed — a rename does not necessarily mean the plan changed in a big way, but the ANOC will spell out what did.

2027 Part D figures to keep in mind

Whichever plan type you pick, almost all Medicare Advantage plans in Jackson County include Part D drug coverage. For 2027, CMS has confirmed the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026) and the Part D maximum deductible is $700 (up from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not yet been announced; CMS typically publishes those in the fall.