Medicare Advantage

Amarillo's 2027 Medicare Advantage lineup: the 7 carriers and how their plans break down

Potter County has 44 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 15 plans are not coming back, 8 are new, and 25 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 Amarillo, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageAmarillo, TX

For Medicare shoppers in Amarillo, the 2027 plan year brings a field to sort through. According to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File, Potter County — where Amarillo sits — has 35 Medicare Advantage plans on offer for 2027, spread across seven carriers. Every one of those plans includes prescription drug coverage.

This guide walks through what is available carrier by carrier, so you can see who is in the market and what kinds of plans they sell. The table below lists every plan by name, its plan type, and whether it includes drug coverage. For specifics on premiums, copays, networks and star ratings, use the official Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov or each plan's own documents.

What is on the shelf in Amarillo for 2027

Amarillo is in Potter County, where CMS lists 35 Medicare Advantage plans for the 2027 plan year. That count is a county-level figure, not a city-only one, because Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level.

By plan type, the county's 2027 lineup includes:

• 20 HMO plans
• 4 HMO-POS plans
• 25 PPO plans (including some regional PPOs)
• 2 PFFS plans

Eighteen of the 51 are Special Needs Plans (SNPs), which are built for people with specific situations — for example, being enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (D-SNP), living with certain chronic conditions (C-SNP), or living in an institutional setting (I-SNP). Every plan in the county roster includes Part D drug coverage.

The eight carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Potter County

Listed alphabetically, the carriers offering MA-PD plans in Potter County for 2027 are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 5 plans (HMO and PPO; 3 are Special Needs Plans)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) — 8 plans (HMO and PPO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• Centene (WellCare) — 6 plans (HMO; 3 Special Needs Plans)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• Humana — 15 plans (PFFS and PPO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• Prominence Health Plan — 6 plans (HMO and HMO-POS; 2 Special Needs Plans)
• Provider Partners Health Plans — 1 plan (HMO; 1 Special Needs Plan)
• UnitedHealthcare — 9 plans (HMO-POS and PPO; 6 Special Needs Plans)

The full plan names appear in the table on this page. A few examples of what you will find there: Aetna's lineup includes Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO) and several Dual Care D-SNPs; Blue Cross Blue Shield's list includes Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Complete (PPO) and Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Saver (HMO); Humana's list ranges from HumanaChoice PPO plans to Humana Gold Choice PFFS plans; and UnitedHealthcare's list includes AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC and several UHC Dual Complete D-SNPs.

How to think about plan type

If you are new to Medicare Advantage, plan type matters as much as the carrier name because it shapes how you use the coverage.

• HMO plans usually ask you to stay in a defined network and often use a primary care doctor as your starting point for referrals.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service) plans work like HMOs but allow some out-of-network care, usually at a higher cost.
• PPO plans generally let you see in-network or out-of-network providers, with different cost-sharing for each. Regional PPOs cover a larger, CMS-defined service area.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans set their own payment terms with providers; a provider can choose whether to accept the plan.
• SNPs (D-SNP, C-SNP, I-SNP) have eligibility rules on top of the plan type and are only open to people who meet them.

The Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you filter by plan type, and each plan's Summary of Benefits explains referral rules, network access and drug coverage in detail.

Drug coverage and the 2027 Part D rules

Every Medicare Advantage plan listed in Potter County for 2027 includes prescription drug coverage, and the CMS data set shows no stand-alone Part D plans in the area. That means most Amarillo shoppers who want drug coverage will get it bundled with an Advantage plan.

A few program-level Part D facts to keep in mind for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 ($2,400 in 2027) for the year. Once you hit that, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615 in 2026 ($700 in 2027). Plans can set a lower one.
• 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 your drug costs into monthly bills instead of paying at the pharmacy counter. It is optional.
• IRMAA income-based surcharges for Part B and Part D start above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.

These figures come from CMS and apply nationwide.

Dates to know

• Annual Enrollment Period: Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. This is when most people can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the coming year.
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: Jan. 1 through March 31. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change during this window — for example, switch to a different MA plan or return to Original Medicare (and pick up a stand-alone Part D plan if one is available to you).

Special Enrollment Periods may apply if you move, lose other coverage, or qualify for programs like Extra Help or Medicaid.

How to decide

There is no "best" plan for everyone. A plan that works well for one Amarillo neighbor may not fit another. A few practical steps:

1. Make a list of your doctors, hospitals and regular prescriptions, including dosages. 2. Run those against the Plan Finder at medicare.gov. You can enter your ZIP code, your drugs and your pharmacies, and see how each plan handles them. 3. Check networks directly with the plan or your provider before you enroll. 4. Compare star ratings. CMS publishes 1-to-5-star ratings that reflect quality and member experience. Ratings are one of several factors — not the only one — to weigh. 5. Ask for help. In Texas, the free State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is called the Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). Counselors do not sell plans.