Medicare Advantage

Before you pick a 2027 Advantage plan in Houston

People in Houston can choose from 99 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, against 114 this year. 37 of this year’s plans are gone, 22 are new to Harris County, and 44 that continue have changed their premium, deductible, plan type or name, 17 of them under a new name.

Medicare AdvantageHouston, TX

HOUSTON — If you're sorting through Medicare Advantage options for 2027, here's the full picture for our city, one carrier at a time. Houston sits inside Harris County, and Medicare Advantage availability is set at the county level. That means every plan listed for Harris County is on the table for Houston residents when the Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7.

The full carrier-by-carrier roster appears in the table below. It shows each plan's name, its type (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, or PFFS), and whether it includes Part D prescription drug coverage. Every 2027 Medicare Advantage plan offered in Harris County includes drug coverage — there are no MA-only plans on the list — so if you enroll in one, your prescriptions are covered under the same plan.

What's available in Harris County for 2027

Harris County has one of the largest Medicare Advantage markets in Texas. For 2027, CMS lists 82 Advantage plans from 15 carriers serving the county. Of the plans on next year's roster, 60 are continuing from 2026, 22 are new, 37 are not returning, and 17 have been renamed; 27 of the continuing plans change something in their terms, and those changes are spelled out in each plan's Annual Notice of Change.

There are no stand-alone Part D drug plans included in this Advantage roster because every 2027 MA plan in Harris County already bundles drug coverage in.

The carriers offering Medicare Advantage in Houston

Fifteen insurers are on the 2026 Harris County roster. In alphabetical order, they are:

• Aetna (CVS Health) — 10 plans (HMO, PPO; 4 SNPs)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield (HCSC) — 15 plans (HMO, PPO; 2 SNPs)
• Centene (WellCare) — 9 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 3 SNPs)
• Community Health Choice — 1 plan (HMO; 1 SNP)
• Devoted Health — 8 plans (HMO; 4 SNPs)
• Elevance Health (Anthem) — 9 plans (HMO, HMO-POS; 7 SNPs)
• Humana — 22 plans (HMO, PFFS, PPO; 5 SNPs)
• Memorial Hermann Health Plan — 3 plans (HMO; 1 SNP)
• Molina Healthcare of Texas — 1 plan (HMO; 1 SNP)
• ProCare Advantage — 1 plan (HMO-POS; 1 SNP)
• Provider Partners Health Plans — 1 plan (HMO; 1 SNP)
• SCAN Health Plan — 4 plans (HMO; 2 SNPs)
• Texas Independence Health Plan — 2 plans (HMO; 2 SNPs)
• UnitedHealthcare — 26 plans (HMO, HMO-POS, PPO; 10 SNPs)
• Verda Health Plan of Texas — 2 plans (HMO; 1 SNP)

The table on this page lists every one of those 114 plans by name, with its type and drug-coverage status.

How the plan types differ

The four Advantage plan types in Houston work differently, and that matters more than most people realize when they're comparing options.

HMO plans generally ask you to pick a primary care doctor and stay in-network except for emergencies. Houston has more HMOs than any other type — 59 of the 114 plans. Names in this category include the KelseyCare Advantage plans, several Devoted Health plans, and Memorial Hermann Advantage, among many others.

HMO-POS (Point of Service) plans work like HMOs but let you go out-of-network for certain services, usually at a higher cost share. Twenty-four Houston plans use this design, including several AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC plans and the Erickson Advantage plans.

PPO plans let you see any provider that accepts Medicare, though in-network care usually costs less. Twenty-nine Houston plans are PPOs, spanning Aetna Medicare, Blue Cross Medicare Advantage, HumanaChoice, and others.

PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans are the rarest here — only two, both from Humana Gold Choice.

What Special Needs Plans are and who they're for

Nearly 4 in 10 Houston Advantage plans (45 of 114) are Special Needs Plans. To join one, you have to qualify:

• D-SNPs are for people enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid — think Aetna Medicare Dual Care, Wellcare Dual Access, Humana Gold Plus SNP-DE, UHC Dual Complete, and others.
• C-SNPs serve people with qualifying chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or lung conditions. Examples on the Houston roster include Humana Gold Plus – Diabetes and Heart, Wellpoint Kidney Care, and SCAN Balance Texas.
• I-SNPs are for people who live in a nursing home or need a similar level of care. ProCare Advantage, Provider Partners Texas Advantage Plan, and UHC Nursing Home Plan TX-F001 are examples.

If you don't meet the eligibility rules for an SNP, you cannot enroll in one — even if it's listed for your county.

2027 drug coverage rules to know

Because every Houston Advantage plan for 2027 includes Part D, a few program-wide drug rules apply no matter which plan you pick:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026 and $2,400 in 2027. Once you've paid that much for covered drugs, you pay nothing more for the rest of the year.
• The Part D maximum deductible is $615 in 2026 and $700 in 2027 (plans can charge less).
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone as of 2025. Part D now has three phases instead of four.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is available if you'd like to spread your drug costs into predictable monthly payments instead of paying them at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA — an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums — starts above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

Key dates and how to compare

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7. Changes made during this window take effect January 1. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you also get the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31 to make one additional change.

When comparing plans:

1. Start with the table below to see what's offered in Harris County. 2. Look up each plan on Medicare.gov's Plan Finder to see premiums, deductibles, copays, drug coverage details, and star ratings. 3. Check the plan's own provider directory to confirm your doctors and hospitals are in-network. 4. Look at the plan's formulary to see whether your prescriptions are covered and at what tier.

Star Ratings, published by CMS, measure quality and member experience on a 1-to-5 scale. They're one input among many, not the whole story.