Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a Medicare Advantage plan in Garland, read this

Dallas County has 84 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. Compared with 2026, 29 plans are not coming back, 20 are new, and 31 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 Garland, not which plan to pick.

Medicare AdvantageGarland, TX

Garland shoppers opening the Medicare Advantage aisle for 2027 will notice something right away: the plans do not all work the same way. Some route you through a primary care doctor. Some let you wander out of network. Some are built for a specific health situation. Before you compare names and logos, it helps to know what the letters after each plan name actually mean.

Garland is in Dallas County, where 75 Medicare Advantage plans are offered for 2027 by 12 carriers, according to the CMS Medicare Advantage Landscape Source File. Every one of those plans includes drug coverage. Compared with 2026, 20 plans are new to the county, 29 are not returning, 9 have been renamed, and 22 continuing plans change something in their terms — the details are in each plan's Annual Notice of Change. One carrier, American Health Advantage of Texas, is not offering plans in the county next year, and Texas Independence Health Plan is new to the county.

Who is selling Medicare Advantage in Dallas County

Twelve carriers offer MA-PD plans in the county. In alphabetical order, they are Aetna (CVS Health) with 8 plans, American Health Advantage of Texas with 1, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan with 4, Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) with 17, Centene (WellCare) with 6, Elevance Health (Anthem) with 6, Humana with 26, Molina Healthcare of Texas with 1, ProCare Advantage with 3, Provider Partners Health Plans with 1, UnitedHealthcare with 18, and Verda Health Plan of Texas with 2.

Those counts include general-market plans and Special Needs Plans mixed together. The table below lists every plan available in the county, grouped by carrier, so you can see the full picture side by side.

HMO: the network-first plan

An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan asks you to pick a primary care doctor and generally use a defined network of providers. If you go outside that network for routine care, the plan usually will not pay, except in an emergency. Many HMOs also expect a referral before you see a specialist.

HMOs are the largest slice of the Dallas County shelf, with 36 of the 93 plans. Carriers offering HMO plans in the county include Aetna, American Health Advantage of Texas, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health, Humana, Molina, Provider Partners and Verda.

HMO-POS: an HMO with a side door

HMO-POS stands for HMO with a Point-of-Service option. It works like an HMO for most care, but adds a limited ability to see certain out-of-network providers, typically at a higher cost share. The rules for what "counts" as out-of-network care vary by plan, so read the specifics carefully.

There are 20 HMO-POS plans in the county. Carriers with HMO-POS offerings include Baylor Scott & White, Elevance Health, ProCare Advantage and UnitedHealthcare.

PPO: more flexibility, usually more paperwork

A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan lets you see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to see you, in or out of network, and usually does not require referrals. You'll pay less when you stay in the plan's network, and more when you go outside it.

The county has 35 PPO plans. Carriers offering PPO plans include Aetna, Baylor Scott & White, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

PFFS: a less common option

A PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plan sets its own terms for how much it will pay providers and how much you owe. You can see any Medicare provider who agrees to the plan's payment terms — meaning the provider has to accept the plan on a visit-by-visit basis.

Special Needs Plans: only if you qualify

Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans limited to people who meet a specific eligibility rule. There are three types:

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

You can't simply pick an SNP the way you would a general plan — you have to fit the category. Of the 93 plans in the county, 35 are Special Needs Plans, and they come from most of the carriers on the shelf. Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Centene, Elevance Health, Humana, ProCare Advantage, UnitedHealthcare and Verda each offer at least one SNP, and American Health Advantage of Texas, Molina and Provider Partners offer SNP-only lineups here.

What every 2027 plan on this shelf has in common

All 75 Dallas County plans include Part D prescription drug coverage. That matters because 2027 brings some Part D rules that apply across the board:

• A $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on covered Part D drugs.
• A maximum Part D deductible of $615 (plans can set theirs lower).
• No coverage gap or "donut hole" — Part D has three phases now, not four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, an optional program that lets you spread your drug costs into monthly payments instead of paying at the pharmacy counter.

Higher-income enrollees should also know that IRMAA surcharges — extra amounts added to Part B and Part D premiums — begin above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

When you can make a change

The Annual Enrollment Period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 each year. That is the main window to join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage plan for the coming year. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan on Jan. 1, 2027, you get a second window — the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Jan. 1 through March 31 — to make one change (switching to a different Advantage plan or going back to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan).