Medicare Advantage

HMO, PPO, PFFS or SNP: Which Fits Your Amarillo Life?

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

Picking a Medicare Advantage plan in Amarillo is less about which logo is on the card and more about which type of plan fits your life. HMO, PPO, PFFS and Special Needs Plans all follow different rules for doctors, referrals and networks — and once you understand those differences, the local lineup gets a lot easier to sort through.

Amarillo sits in Potter County, where the 2027 Medicare Advantage market includes 35 plans from 7 carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. Compared with 2026, 27 plans continue, 8 are new, 15 are not returning, and 9 have been renamed; 16 of the continuing plans change something in their terms, which the plan's Annual Notice of Change spells out. Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) does not offer plans in the county for 2027.

Who sells Medicare Advantage in Amarillo

Seven carriers offer MA-PD plans in Potter County for 2027, down from eight in 2026 after Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) exited the county. The carriers still in the market are Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), Humana, Prominence Health Plan, Provider Partners Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare. Plan counts by carrier come from the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov.

Some carriers stick to one plan type; others spread across several. Centene's local plans are all HMOs, for example, while Humana's are PPOs and PFFS. Aetna, Blue Cross and UnitedHealthcare each offer more than one plan type in the county. The full table below lists every plan by carrier so you can see the type next to each name.

HMO and HMO-POS: the "stay in network" plans

An HMO — Health Maintenance Organization — asks you to use doctors and hospitals inside the plan's network, and often to pick a primary care doctor who coordinates referrals to specialists. Out-of-network care is usually covered only in an emergency.

An HMO-POS ("point of service") is an HMO with a small door cut into it: it lets you go out of network for certain services, typically at a higher cost. UnitedHealthcare and Prominence Health Plan offer HMO-POS options in Potter County.

HMOs tend to appeal to people who are comfortable with a defined network and want the structure of a primary care "quarterback."

PPO: more freedom, different tradeoffs

A PPO — Preferred Provider Organization — lets you see any Medicare-approved provider, in or out of network, without a referral. You'll usually pay less when you stay in network, and more when you don't. PPOs are the largest slice of the Potter County lineup, with 25 of the 51 plans.

Some PPOs are labeled "Regional PPO," which means they use a wider, region-based network defined by CMS rather than a local one. Humana and UnitedHealthcare both offer regional PPOs in the area.

PFFS: a less common structure

A PFFS — Private Fee-for-Service — plan sets its own payment terms with providers. You can generally see any Medicare provider who agrees to the plan's terms and bill on a visit-by-visit basis. There's no network in the usual HMO/PPO sense, but a provider can decline to accept the plan at any visit, so it pays to ask up front. Only 2 of Potter County's 51 plans are PFFS, both from Humana.

Special Needs Plans: built for specific situations

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans limited to people who meet certain criteria. There are three kinds:

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

Potter County's 2027 lineup still includes Special Needs Plans across most of the remaining carriers. Provider Partners Health Plans and Elevance Health (Anthem) offer only SNP products locally, while Aetna, Centene, Humana, Prominence and UnitedHealthcare mix SNPs into their broader lineups. You must meet the eligibility rules to enroll in any SNP.

How to narrow 51 plans down to a shortlist

A practical way to shrink the list:

1. Decide on plan type first. Do you want a network-based HMO, the flexibility of a PPO, the visit-by-visit setup of a PFFS, or do you qualify for an SNP? That question alone cuts the field considerably. 2. Check your doctors and hospitals. Confirm they take the plan types you're considering. This matters most for HMOs and PPOs. 3. Check your drug list. All 35 Potter County MA plans include Part D for 2027. The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027. The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone (there are now three phases), and an optional Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year. 4. Compare on Medicare's tools, not ads. Plan Finder at medicare.gov lets you enter your ZIP code, doctors and medications to see side-by-side details.

Keep the calendar in mind: the Annual Enrollment Period is Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, and the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs Jan. 1 – March 31 for people already in an MA plan who want to switch once.