Medicare Advantage

Does your Nashville doctor need a referral in 2027?

Davidson County has 69 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 14 plans are not coming back, 9 are new, and 30 continuing plans changed in some way you should check before December 7, 9 of them under a new name. This guide covers what those numbers mean for Nashville, not which plan to pick.

Nashville, fall 2026 — If you are weighing a Medicare Advantage plan in Davidson County for 2027, the first fork in the road is not price or extras. It is plan type. The county's 2027 lineup leans into three familiar shapes — HMO, HMO-POS and PPO — and the one that fits you depends on your doctors, your referrals comfort level, and how often you travel.

Here is how next year's choices split, what each type actually means, and which carriers offer each.

How Davidson County's 2027 plans split by type

For 2027, Davidson County has 69 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 carriers. By type, that is 29 HMO plans, 12 HMO-POS plans and 28 PPO plans. If you count HMO and HMO-POS together as "HMO-style," that group totals 41 plans; PPOs make up the other 28.

There are no PFFS plans in the county's 2027 lineup, so that type is not a practical choice here this year.

The table below lists every plan on the Davidson County 2027 landscape, with the type beside each one, so you can see at a glance which bucket a plan falls into before you dig into details on medicare.gov.

What each plan type actually means

Plan type is a set of network rules written into the plan. It affects which doctors you can see, whether you need a referral to see a specialist, and what happens if you get care outside the plan's network.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You generally must use the plan's network of doctors and hospitals, except for emergencies, urgent care and out-of-area dialysis. Many HMOs ask you to pick a primary care doctor and get referrals for specialists. Out-of-network care is usually not covered at all.
• HMO-POS (HMO with a Point-of-Service option). Works like an HMO, but adds a limited ability to see certain out-of-network providers for specific services, typically at a higher cost share. The "POS" piece varies plan by plan — the Evidence of Coverage spells out which services qualify.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). You can see in-network providers at the plan's standard cost share and go out of network for covered services, usually at a higher cost share. Most PPOs do not require referrals to see a specialist.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). A plan that pays providers a set amount; you can see any Medicare provider who agrees to the plan's terms. None are offered in Davidson County for 2027.

None of these types is "better" in the abstract. The right fit depends on your own doctors, whether you want referrals or not, and how often you need care outside Middle Tennessee.

Which carriers offer each type in 2027

Carrier mix matters because your preferred doctor or hospital system may contract with some insurers and not others. For Davidson County in 2027:

• HMO plans are offered by Abilis Health (HMO SNP), Aetna (CVS Health), American Health Advantage of Tennessee, BlueCare Plus Tennessee, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, NHC Advantage and Zing Health.
• HMO-POS plans are offered by Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring and UnitedHealthcare.
• PPO plans are offered by Aetna (CVS Health), BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Devoted Health, HealthSpring, Humana and Zing Health.

A few carriers appear in more than one column because they sell more than one type of plan here. Before you decide, check the specific plan's provider directory — the carrier name alone does not tell you whether your doctor is in-network for that particular plan.

How to decide between an HMO and a PPO

Start with your doctors. Pull up each of your regular providers on the plan's online directory, or call the plan, and confirm they are in-network for the specific 2027 plan you are considering — not just the carrier in general.

Then think about three things:

1. Referrals. If you prefer having a primary care doctor coordinate your care, an HMO's referral structure may feel natural. If you want to self-refer to specialists, a PPO is usually more flexible. 2. Out-of-network care. If you spend part of the year outside Tennessee, see out-of-state specialists, or want the option to use a hospital not in your plan's network, PPOs cover out-of-network services (at a higher cost share). HMOs generally do not; HMO-POS plans allow it only for certain services. 3. Drug coverage and extras. All 69 of the county's 2027 Medicare Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage. Extras like dental, vision and hearing vary a lot by plan — compare them on the Medicare Plan Finder before you choose.

What is changing for 2027 across the county

For 2027, 14 plans are not returning, 9 are new, and 9 have been renamed. If a plan you have now is leaving, your carrier will send a non-renewal notice; you have until Dec. 7, 2026 to pick a different plan for a Jan. 1, 2027 start. If your plan is returning, read the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your plan mailed in late September — that is where plan-specific changes to premiums, cost shares, networks and drug lists are listed.

A couple of program-level numbers are also set for 2027: the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 (from $2,100 in 2026), and the Part D maximum deductible rises to $700 (from $615 in 2026). The 2027 Part B standard premium and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets have not been announced yet; CMS typically publishes those in the fall.