Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO or SNP? How Akron's 2026 plans differ

People in Akron can choose from 95 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 113 for 2026. 30 of this year's plans are gone, 17 are new to Summit County, and 32 that continue have changed something in their terms, 5 of them under a new name.

AKRON, Ohio — If you are shopping for Medicare Advantage here, the first question is not which plan to buy. It is which kind of plan fits how you like to get care. Akron sits in Summit County, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup includes a mix of HMOs, HMO-POS plans, PPOs and Special Needs Plans from more than a dozen carriers. Sorting them by type first makes the rest of the decision a lot easier.

What's on the shelf in Summit County

For plan year 2027, Summit County has 95 Medicare Advantage plans from 17 carriers, and every one of them includes drug coverage. There are no stand-alone Part D plans listed for the county in the 2027 landscape data, because everyone shopping Medicare Advantage here would get their drug coverage bundled in.

The 17 carriers, in alphabetical order, are Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Communicare Advantage, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, PrimeTime Health Plan, SummaCare Medicare Advantage Plans, The Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, Valor Health Plan and Zing Health. The table below lists every plan they offer, with plan type and drug coverage.

The number of plans a carrier offers does not tell you whether it is the right one for you — some carriers focus on Special Needs Plans, some on general-market HMOs and PPOs, and some offer both.

HMO: the "stay in network" plan

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan usually asks you to:

• Pick a primary care doctor.
• Get referrals to see specialists.
• Use doctors and hospitals that are in the plan's network, except for emergencies.

If you go outside the network on your own, an HMO generally will not pay. In exchange for that structure, HMO plans often have simpler cost-sharing.

Of the 113 plans in Summit County, 47 are HMOs. You will see HMOs across most of the local carriers.

HMO-POS: an HMO with a side door

HMO-POS stands for "Point of Service." It works like an HMO — network doctors, primary care, referrals — but adds a limited ability to go out of network for certain services, usually at a higher cost you pay yourself.

If you like the HMO structure but want a little flexibility for a specific specialist or service, the HMO-POS is the middle ground.

PPO: more flexibility, different math

A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan lets you see any Medicare-approved provider without a referral. You pay less when you use the plan's in-network providers, and more when you go out of network — but the plan still helps pay in both cases.

PPOs tend to appeal to people who travel, split time between states, or have doctors spread across different systems.

PFFS: rare, but worth knowing

You may still see the term PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). PFFS plans set their own rates and let you use any provider who agrees to accept the plan's terms. They were more common years ago and are not part of the Summit County 2027 lineup based on the landscape file, but the plan type still exists in Medicare and you may run into it in other regions or in older paperwork.

Special Needs Plans (SNPs): only for people who qualify

Special Needs Plans are a type of Medicare Advantage plan built for people in specific situations. There are three flavors:

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

You cannot join a SNP just because it looks appealing — you have to meet the eligibility rules for that group. Carriers that offer at least one SNP locally include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC), CareSource MyCare Ohio, Centene (WellCare), Communicare Advantage, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, The Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, Valor Health Plan and Zing Health.

If you qualify for Medicaid or have a qualifying chronic condition, a SNP is worth a close look because these plans are designed around those needs.

A simple way to narrow the list

Rather than starting with 113 plans, start with two questions:

1. Do you qualify for a Special Needs Plan? If yes (dual eligibility, a qualifying chronic condition, or an institutional level of care), that narrows your list dramatically. 2. If not, how important is going out of network? If it does not matter, HMOs are on the table. If it matters sometimes, look at HMO-POS. If it matters a lot, look at PPOs.

From there, you can compare drug lists, provider networks, and total costs among a much shorter set of plans. The table below shows which type each Summit County plan falls into.

Program facts worth keeping in mind for 2027

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you hit it, you pay nothing for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025; Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs into monthly payments if that helps your budget.
• IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D premiums begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.
• Annual Enrollment: Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: Jan. 1 – March 31.

Where to get personalized help

For an unbiased walk-through, call 1-800-MEDICARE (24/7), visit medicare.gov to use Plan Finder, or contact the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP), the state's SHIP, for free one-on-one counseling. SHIP counselors do not sell plans; they help you understand your choices.