Medicare Advantage

Cuyahoga County's 2027 Medicare Advantage menu: 44 HMO, 20 HMO-POS, 35 PPO — and zero PFFS

People in Cleveland can choose from 99 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 112 this year. 31 of this year’s plans are gone, 18 are new to Cuyahoga County, and 37 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 6 of them under a new name.

Cleveland, Ohio — fall 2026. When the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, 2026, people shopping Medicare Advantage in Cleveland will see a lineup grouped into three familiar shapes: HMO, HMO-POS and PPO. One shape readers sometimes ask about — Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) — is not on the menu in Cuyahoga County for 2027.

That split matters because the plan type sets the ground rules: which doctors you can see, whether you need a referral, and what happens if you get care outside the plan's network. Cleveland is in Cuyahoga County, where CMS lists 99 Medicare Advantage plans from 16 carriers for 2027, divided 44 HMO, 20 HMO-POS and 35 PPO.

How the 2027 plans split by type

Here is the Cuyahoga County picture CMS published for next year:

• HMO: 44 plans. Carriers offering HMO plans include Aetna (CVS Health), CareSource MyCare Ohio (HMO D-SNP), Centene (WellCare), Communicare Advantage, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Perennial Advantage, SummaCare Medicare Advantage Plans, The Health Plan, Valor Health Plan and Zing Health.
• HMO-POS: 20 plans. Carriers offering HMO-POS plans include Aetna (CVS Health), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Perennial Advantage, SummaCare Medicare Advantage Plans and UnitedHealthcare.
• PPO: 35 plans. Carriers offering PPO plans include Aetna (CVS Health), Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio, The Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare.
• PFFS: 0 plans in Cuyahoga County for 2027.

Counting HMO and HMO-POS together, 64 of the 99 plans use an HMO-style structure. The table below lists every plan by carrier and type.

What HMO means

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) builds its benefits around a defined network of doctors and hospitals. In most HMOs, you choose a primary care physician who coordinates your care, and you need a referral to see a specialist. Care from providers outside the network is generally not covered — except for emergencies, urgent care and out-of-area dialysis, which Medicare requires every Advantage plan to cover.

HMOs can be a good fit when your doctors are already in the plan's network and you do not travel much outside the service area.

What HMO-POS adds

HMO-POS stands for "HMO with a Point-of-Service option." It works like an HMO — a network, often a primary care doctor, often referrals — but it opens a limited door to use certain out-of-network providers. Which services qualify, how much the plan pays, and what you pay are set plan by plan. If seeing a specific out-of-network specialist matters to you, check the plan's Evidence of Coverage before you enroll.

What PPO means

A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) also has a network, but it covers out-of-network care at a higher cost-share, and it does not require referrals to see specialists. Some PPOs are "local" and some are "regional" (CMS labels them that way), but the member rules are similar.

PPOs can appeal to people who want flexibility — a snowbird season, a specialist in another city, or simply the option to go out-of-network without a referral. The trade-off is that out-of-network bills are usually higher than in-network ones, so it still pays to check who is in the network.

What about PFFS?

A PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plan sets its own payment terms, and any Medicare provider can choose whether to accept the plan on a visit-by-visit basis. PFFS plans used to be more common, but they are not part of Cuyahoga County's 2027 lineup — CMS lists zero PFFS plans here next year. If you had been considering one, the practical choice in Cleveland for 2027 is between HMO, HMO-POS and PPO.

What is changing for 2027

Across Cuyahoga County, CMS shows 31 Medicare Advantage plans not returning for 2027, 18 new plans, and 6 that have been renamed. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), mailed in September, lists exactly what is changing — network, drug list, cost-sharing and the plan's name. If you do nothing during the enrollment window, your current plan renews as described in that notice, assuming it is still offered.

A few program-wide numbers to keep in mind as you compare:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• Part D maximum deductible: $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• Part D national base beneficiary premium: $41.33 for 2027 — a formula input, not what any single plan charges.
• 2027 Part B premium, Part B deductible and IRMAA brackets: CMS announces these later in the fall, typically in November.

How to use the type information

Plan type is a starting filter, not the finish line. Two HMOs from different carriers can look very different once you check:

1. Your doctors and hospitals — are they in the plan's 2027 network? 2. Your prescriptions — are they on the plan's 2027 formulary, and at what tier? 3. Your travel pattern — do you spend time outside Northeast Ohio? 4. Referrals — are you comfortable going through a primary care doctor to see specialists?

The Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code, doctors and drugs and see how each plan handles them. 1-800-MEDICARE is available 24/7 if you would rather talk it through.