Quick answers
- How many Medicare Advantage plans are in Florida for 2027?
- CMS lists 297 plans open to everyone from 22 companies, plus 245 special needs plans. You can join only plans sold in your county.
- Which counties have the most and fewest plans?
- Hillsborough County has the most for 2027 (52 plans open to everyone) and Monroe County, the Florida Keys, the fewest (7). Every county has some.
- How many Floridians have Medicare Advantage?
- 3,051,948 of Florida's 5,344,538 people with Medicare were in Medicare Advantage or another Medicare health plan in July 2026, per CMS.
- Do I still pay my Part B premium with Medicare Advantage?
- Yes. You keep paying Part B, and the plan may charge its own premium too.
- Can I go back to Medigap later in Florida?
- You can return to Original Medicare at set times, but Florida has no Medigap birthday rule or yearly switching right, so a Medigap company can ask health questions unless you have a guaranteed-issue right.
How does Medicare Advantage work?
Medicare Advantage, also called Part C, is a way to get your Medicare benefits through a private insurance company that contracts with Medicare. The plan covers what Part A and Part B cover, such as hospital stays, doctor visits, outpatient care and tests, and most plans also include Part D prescription drug coverage.
When you join, you are still in Medicare. You keep paying your Part B premium, and the plan may charge its own premium as well. The plan pays your doctors instead of Original Medicare, and its rules decide which providers you can see, whether you need a referral or approval first, and what you pay for each service.
To join, you need Part A and Part B and you must permanently live in the plan's service area (42 CFR 422.50). In Florida, service areas are set county by county, so the plans open to someone in Tampa aren't the same as those open to someone in Key West or Tallahassee. Florida is also a Medicare Advantage region by itself (Region 09), so a regional PPO here serves the whole state and no other.
What types of plans are there?
| Plan type | Network | Referrals | Out-of-network care |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMO | You use the plan's doctors, hospitals and other providers. | Usually needed for specialists. | Generally not covered, except emergencies, urgent care and out-of-area dialysis. |
| HMO-POS | An HMO with a point-of-service option. | Usually needed. | Some services covered, usually at a higher cost. |
| PPO | The plan has a network, and you pay less when you use it. | Usually not needed. | Covered, usually at a higher cost. |
| Special needs plan (SNP) | Limited to people with Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, certain chronic conditions, or nursing-home-level needs. | Depends on the plan. | Depends on the plan. |
Every plan has a yearly limit on what you pay for covered Part A and Part B services: for 2027, up to $9,850 in network, and up to $14,800 combined in and out of network for a PPO. Plans may set lower limits. Part D drug costs have their own cap of $2,400 in 2027.
Many plans require prior authorization for some services. Since 2026, CMS requires plans to decide urgent requests within 72 hours and standard requests within 7 calendar days, and to explain any denial. You can appeal; see Medicare appeals in Florida.
How many plans does your county have?
| County | Plans open to everyone | Special needs plans | Companies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough | 52 | 72 | 17 |
| Marion | 51 | 56 | 12 |
| Pinellas | 50 | 68 | 16 |
| Palm Beach | 49 | 62 | 15 |
| Sumter | 48 | 58 | 12 |
| Orange | 45 | 61 | 15 |
| Broward | 44 | 62 | 15 |
| Duval | 42 | 45 | 12 |
| Miami-Dade | {{fl:plans.counties.Miami-Dade.ma:n}} | {{fl:plans.counties.Miami-Dade.snp:n}} | {{fl:plans.counties.Miami-Dade.companies:n}} |
| Lee | 34 | 33 | 10 |
| Escambia | 28 | 23 | 7 |
| Leon | 13 | 7 | 4 |
| Monroe | 7 | 1 | 3 |
Source: CMS CY2027 Medicare Advantage Landscape file. The Tampa Bay area and Central Florida, including Marion and Sumter counties around The Villages, have the most plans for 2027. Leon County (Tallahassee), much of the Big Bend and the Panhandle, and the Florida Keys have the fewest. These counts cover plans sold to individuals; employer and retiree group plans, such as the State Group Insurance Program's, aren't included. Every county is on our Florida counties page.
Medicare Advantage is the majority choice in Florida: CMS's Medicare Monthly Enrollment data for July 2026 shows 3,051,948 of the state's 5,344,538 people with Medicare in Medicare Advantage or another Medicare health plan, and 2,292,590 in Original Medicare. The share varies widely: in Miami-Dade County it's {{fl:enroll.counties.Miami-Dade.advantage:n}} of {{fl:enroll.counties.Miami-Dade.total:n}}, the highest in the state, and in Monroe County 4,535 of 19,230, the lowest. More figures are on Florida Medicare by the numbers.
Tip: before you join, check that your own doctors, your hospital and your pharmacy are in the plan's 2027 network. If you spend part of the year in another state, check how the plan covers care there before you enroll.
Special needs plans and Florida Medicaid
Special needs plans (SNPs) are Medicare Advantage plans for specific groups, and they include Part D. There are three kinds:
D-SNP (dual eligible)
For people with both Medicare and Florida Medicaid. For 2027, CMS lists 127 D-SNPs in Florida, in all 67 counties. Some also deliver Florida Medicaid benefits; others only coordinate with Medicaid. See D-SNPs in Florida.
C-SNP (chronic condition)
For people with certain severe or disabling chronic conditions, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure or end-stage renal disease. The plan confirms the condition with your doctor.
I-SNP (institutional)
For people who live, or are expected to live, 90 days or more in a nursing home or similar facility, or who need that level of care at home.
Florida's rules shape which D-SNP you can join. Under its contract with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), a "coordination-only" D-SNP may enroll only people with partial help, such as a Medicare Savings Program, not people with full Medicaid. Three fully integrated plans (FIDE-SNPs), sold in 42 counties for 2027, also carry the member's Medicaid long-term care. Most people with full Medicaid get their Medicaid through a Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) plan. See Florida Medicaid and Medicare and What are special needs plans in Florida?
What does a plan cost?
What you pay depends on the plan: its premium (if any), deductibles, and the copayments or coinsurance it charges for each service, up to the yearly limit. Each plan's Summary of Benefits shows these costs. See Medicare costs in 2027 for the amounts Medicare sets.
Medicare Advantage plans may offer extra benefits such as dental, vision, hearing or fitness. Extra benefits vary by plan and county, may have limits and costs, and not every plan offers them. Check a plan's Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage.
State and local government retirees
If you retired from Florida state government and kept State Group Insurance, the State gives you two paths once you have Medicare: stay in a State Group Insurance health plan, which then pays after Medicare and includes drug coverage, or join one of the State's group Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans. The State's MA-PD plans are optional and open for enrollment all year through People First.
Check before you change anything. The State says that if a retiree cancels State Group Insurance or lets it lapse, they can't re-enroll later as a retiree. Ask People First before you join an outside Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. See Florida state retirees and Medicare and State Group Insurance vs. individual Medicare plans.
Florida law (s. 112.0801) lets retirees of counties, cities, school districts and other local public employers stay in their former employer's group health plan, often paying the premium themselves; ask that employer how its plan works with Medicare. Military retirees should check how a plan works with TRICARE For Life, which requires Part A and Part B. See military, veterans and TRICARE in Florida.
Snowbirds, moving and hurricanes
- One home for your plan: you can be in only one Medicare Advantage plan, tied to your permanent residence. A plan may ask for proof, such as your voter registration, driver's license or tax records, if you have homes in two states. See snowbirds and Medicare.
- Time away: emergencies and urgent care are covered anywhere in the U.S. Routine care away from home usually isn't covered by an HMO. If you're outside your plan's service area for more than 6 months in a row, the plan must disenroll you, unless it offers an optional visitor or traveler program, which can extend that to under 12 months (42 CFR 422.74). Ask the plan whether it has one and where it works.
- Moving to Florida: a Medicare Advantage plan from another state usually ends when you move out of its service area. You get a special enrollment period to choose coverage here, generally through 2 full months after the move. See moving to Florida with Medicare.
- Hurricanes: when a disaster or emergency is declared and access to care is disrupted, Medicare Advantage plans must cover care at non-network facilities at in-network cost sharing and waive referral rules until the disruption ends (42 CFR 422.100(m)). If a storm kept you from making a plan change, you may get a disaster special enrollment period. See hurricanes and Medicare in Florida.
When can you join or switch?
- Initial Enrollment Period: the 7 months around your 65th birthday month.
- Open Enrollment: October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027. It's under way now.
- Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period: January 1 to March 31, 2027, one change if you're already in a plan.
- Special enrollment periods for moving, losing other coverage, getting Medicaid or Extra Help, declared disasters and other events. See Medicare enrollment periods.
Think about Medigap before you switch. Florida has no Medigap birthday rule or yearly switching right. If you leave Original Medicare and Medigap for Medicare Advantage and later want Medigap back, a company can ask health questions and turn you down unless you have a guaranteed-issue right, such as the federal 12-month trial right or Florida's 2-month window after group health coverage ends. See Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage in Florida.
Is your plan ending in 2027?
Check your mail. For 2027, four companies stop selling regular Medicare Advantage plans in some Florida counties, and other companies end some plans where they stay. At least 302,773 Floridians in regular Medicare Advantage plans must choose new coverage. Every county still has Medicare Advantage plans. If your plan is ending, choose by December 31, 2026 to avoid a gap; your special enrollment period runs through February 28, 2027, and you can buy certain Medigap policies without health questions until 63 days after your plan ends. See Florida plans ending in 2027.
Where can you get help choosing?
To see the plans sold where you live, see plans for your ZIP code. To compare plans from the companies they work with and check your doctors and drugs, you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent, or meet licensed insurance agents in Florida. Our step-by-step guide is How do I choose a Medicare plan in Florida?
For information on all your options, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048) or use Medicare's Plan Finder at Medicare.gov. You can check an agent's Florida license with the Department of Financial Services licensee search, and complaints about an agent go to the DFS Division of Consumer Services. Complaints about a Medicare Advantage plan itself go to 1-800-MEDICARE.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Your health plan options
- Medicare.gov — Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans
- Medicare.gov — Special Needs Plans (SNP)
- CMS — Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F) fact sheet
- CMS — Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape files, contract year 2027 (plan counts, D-SNP integration status, regions)
- CMS — Medicare Monthly Enrollment (Florida)
- CMS — CY 2027 Rate Announcement (Part D out-of-pocket threshold)
- CMS — Medicare Advantage and Part D Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance, CY2027 (permanent residence, moves)
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.50, eligibility to elect an MA plan
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.74, disenrollment (6-month absence, visitor/traveler programs)
- eCFR — 42 CFR 422.100(m), access to care during disasters
- AHCA — Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan contract, Attachment I-B (FIDE, HIDE and coordination-only D-SNPs)
- AHCA — Statewide Medicaid Managed Care
- Florida Division of State Group Insurance — Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans
- Florida Division of State Group Insurance — Frequently asked questions: retirees
- Florida Statutes — s. 112.0801, group insurance for public retirees
- Florida Statutes — s. 627.6741, Medicare supplement open enrollment and issuance
- TRICARE — TRICARE For Life
- Florida Department of Financial Services — Division of Consumer Services
Every question in this guide
Frequently asked questions
What is Medicare Advantage (Part C)?
Medicare Advantage is a way to get your Part A and Part B benefits through a private plan approved by Medicare instead of Original Medicare. Most plans also include Part D drug coverage. You're still in Medicare and keep your Medicare rights and protections.
Do I need Part B to join a Medicare Advantage plan?
Yes. You need Part A and Part B, and you must live in the plan's service area. You keep paying the Part B premium while you're in the plan.
Can I be turned down for a Medicare Advantage plan in Florida?
Not because of your health. A plan open to everyone must accept anyone with Part A and Part B who lives in its service area, including people with end-stage renal disease since 2021. Special needs plans accept only people in the group they serve, such as people with Medicaid.
What's the difference between an HMO and a PPO Medicare Advantage plan?
An HMO generally covers care only from its network, except emergencies, urgent care and out-of-area dialysis, and usually needs referrals for specialists. A PPO also covers out-of-network care, at a higher cost, and usually doesn't need referrals.
What is prior authorization in Medicare Advantage?
Prior authorization means the plan must approve a service, item or drug before it will cover it. Since 2026, CMS requires Medicare Advantage plans to decide within 72 hours for urgent requests and 7 calendar days for standard requests, and to give a specific reason for a denial. You can appeal a denial.
Medicare in your Florida county
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