Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO, or SNP? Sorting Douglas County Options

For 2027, Omaha is looking at 39 Medicare Advantage plans: 11 new, 17 gone since 2026, and 12 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 5 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Douglas County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

Medicare AdvantageOmaha, NE

If you live in Omaha and you're sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, the first question isn't really which plan — it's which type of plan fits how you like to get care. Omaha is in Douglas County, where eight carriers offer Medicare Advantage plans, and those plans come in a few different shapes: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, and Special Needs Plans built for specific situations. Knowing what those letters mean is the fastest way to narrow the field.

What Medicare Advantage looks like in Omaha

According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape for plan year 2027, Douglas County has 34 Medicare Advantage plans available. Eight carriers are on the local landscape. In alphabetical order, they are: Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Centene (WellCare), Devoted Health, Great Plains Medicare Advantage, Humana, Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, and UnitedHealthcare. Compared with 2026, Medica and Molina Healthcare of Illinois are not offering plans in the county, and Molina Healthcare of Nebraska is new to the county. Across the lineup, 23 plans continue, 11 are new, 17 are not returning, and 5 are renamed; 7 continuing plans change something in their terms (the ANOC has the details).

Of the 45 plans, 8 are HMOs, 10 are HMO-POS, and 27 are PPOs. Sixteen of the plans are Special Needs Plans. The table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see the full lineup.

HMO: a network and a primary care doctor

An HMO — Health Maintenance Organization — asks you to get most of your care from doctors and hospitals in the plan's network. You usually pick a primary care physician, and specialists are often reached through a referral. If you go outside the network, the plan typically won't pay except in an emergency.

HMOs work well for people who don't mind staying in-network and like having one doctor coordinating their care. In Douglas County, carriers offering HMO plans include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, Great Plains Medicare Advantage, Humana, and Molina Healthcare of Illinois, among others.

HMO-POS: a little more flexibility

HMO-POS stands for "point of service." It's an HMO with a small door cracked open — you can go outside the network for certain services, though you'll usually pay more when you do. Rules vary by plan, so read the details.

You'll see HMO-POS options in the Omaha area from Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), and UnitedHealthcare, among others.

PPO: broader access, higher costs out of network

A PPO — Preferred Provider Organization — lets you see any Medicare-approved provider, in or out of network, without a referral. In-network care generally costs less, but out-of-network care is covered too. PPOs are the most common plan type on the Omaha landscape, with 27 of the 45 plans structured this way. Every carrier in Douglas County except Molina Healthcare of Illinois and Great Plains Medicare Advantage offers at least one PPO.

PPOs appeal to people who travel, split time between two homes, or just want the freedom to pick a specialist directly.

PFFS: what it is, even if it's not local

You may see the term PFFS — Private Fee-for-Service — in general Medicare literature. PFFS plans let you see any Medicare provider willing to accept the plan's payment terms. There are no PFFS plans in the Douglas County landscape for 2027, so it isn't a local choice, but it's worth knowing the term if a friend in another state mentions one.

Special Needs Plans: built for specific situations

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans limited to people who meet certain criteria. They come in three flavors:

• 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 or a heart condition.
• I-SNP (Institutional): For people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care.

Douglas County had 16 SNPs in 2026. For 2027, check each carrier's current lineup on medicare.gov, since some carriers have changed. You can only enroll in an SNP if you meet the eligibility rules for that plan type.

Drug coverage is bundled in

Every one of the 34 Medicare Advantage plans available in Douglas County for 2027 includes prescription drug coverage (that's what "MA-PD" means). There are no stand-alone Part D plans listed in the county's Advantage landscape, so most people picking an Advantage plan will get their drug coverage through it automatically.

The Part D out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. Part D uses a three-phase structure — the old "donut hole" was eliminated in 2025. There's also an optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan that lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments.

Dates to keep in mind

• October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment. If you're already in an Advantage plan, you can switch to another one or drop back to Original Medicare.