Medicare Advantage

Houston's 2027 Medicare Advantage menu: how HMO, HMO-POS, PPO and PFFS compare before you pick

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.

HOUSTON — As the Annual Enrollment Period opens Oct. 15, 2026, Houston shoppers comparing Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 will see the same four letters stamped next to almost every option: HMO, HMO-POS, PPO or PFFS. Those labels decide how you see a doctor, whether you need a referral, and what happens if you get sick out of town — and in Harris County, the lineup is weighted heavily toward one of them.

Houston is in Harris County, where CMS lists 99 Medicare Advantage plans from 15 carriers for 2027. By plan type, that breaks down to 59 HMO plans, 18 HMO-POS plans, 21 PPO plans and 1 PFFS plan. Counting HMO and HMO-POS together, 77 of the 99 plans use some form of HMO structure.

What the plan-type letters actually mean

Every Medicare Advantage plan is built around a network of doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, but the type tells you how strict that network is.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization). You pick a primary care doctor, and you generally need to use in-network providers. Many HMOs require a referral before you see a specialist. Out-of-network care is usually not covered except for emergencies, urgent care and dialysis.
• HMO-POS (Point of Service). An HMO with a limited "point of service" option: you can go outside the network for certain services, usually at a higher cost. The rules on what is covered out-of-network vary a lot plan to plan.
• PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). No primary-care gatekeeper and no referrals needed in most cases. You can see out-of-network providers who accept the plan, though you typically pay more than you would in-network.
• PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service). You can see any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to the plan's payment terms at the time of the visit. There is no network in the traditional sense, but a provider can decline to accept the plan on any given day.

No type is cheaper or better than another in the abstract. The right fit depends on who your doctors are, whether you want referrals handled for you, and how often you leave town.

How Harris County's 2027 lineup splits

Across the 99 plans available in Harris County for 2027:

• HMO: 59 plans. Offered by Aetna (CVS Health), Centene (WellCare), Community Health Choice, Devoted Health, Elevance Health (Anthem), HealthSpring, Humana, MedCare Partners Health Plan of Texas, Molina Healthcare of Texas, Inc., Provider Partners Health Plans, SCAN Health Plan, Texas Independence Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare, and Verda Health Plan of Texas.
• HMO-POS: 18 plans. Offered by Centene (WellCare), Elevance Health (Anthem), ProCare Advantage, and UnitedHealthcare.
• PPO: 21 plans. Offered by Aetna (CVS Health), HealthSpring, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare.
• PFFS: 1 plan. Offered by Humana.

The table below lists every plan, with its carrier and type, so you can see which bucket each option falls into.

Which type usually fits which situation

Think about three questions before you look at individual plans.

Who are your doctors? If your preferred physicians, specialists and hospital system are all in one carrier's HMO network, an HMO can be a clean fit. If your doctors are spread across different systems, a PPO's wider access may matter more.

How do you feel about referrals? HMO plans typically route specialist visits through a primary care doctor. Some people find that helpful; others find it slow. PPO and PFFS plans generally let you self-refer.

How much do you travel? Snowbirds, people with family in another state, or anyone who spends weeks at a time away from Houston should pay close attention to how a plan handles non-emergency care outside the service area. PPO and PFFS plans are usually more flexible there, but the specifics are in each plan's Evidence of Coverage.

What is changing for 2027

The Harris County lineup is a little smaller next year: 114 plans in 2026 become 99 in 2027. CMS data shows 37 plans not returning, 22 new plans, and 17 renamed plans. If your current plan is going away, you will get a non-renewal notice; if it is simply changing, those details are in the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) your carrier mails each fall.

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

Dates to put on the calendar

• Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2026: Annual Enrollment Period. Changes you make take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
• Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance to switch plans or go back to Original Medicare.

Doing nothing is a valid choice. If your plan is still offered, it renews automatically with the changes described in your ANOC.