• If you join a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Medicare Advantage plan, you probably will pay the lowest monthly premiums, but may find that HMOs have the most restrictive healthcare network - meaning that, if you travel, you may pay the highest costs when seeking healthcare services outside of the plan's established provider network.
  
  Please read your plan's coverage details as your out-of-network costs may not count toward your Medicare Advantage plan's annual Maximum Out-of-Pocket Limit (MOOP).  Look for language in your plan's Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage documents that may state:
  

  “Like all Medicare health plans, our [Medicare Advantage] plan protects you by having yearly limits on your out-of-pocket costs for medical [Medicare Part B] and hospital care. Your yearly limit(s) in this plan: $6,700 for services you receive from in-network providers.” [emphasis added]
  

• If you join a Medicare Advantage HMO-POS (HMO point of service) plan, you may find that the plan provides the affordability of an HMO and the flexibility of a Medicare Advantage PPO or Medicare Advantage PFFS plan (explained below).

With an HMO-POS, you may be allowed to go outside of the plan's healthcare network, but you may pay more for out-of-network (or POS) coverage and your out-of-pocket costs may not count toward your Medicare Advantage plan's annual Maximum Out-of-Pocket Limit (or MOOP) or out-of-network costs may count toward a higher MOOP.

Again when you review your plan's documentation, you may read something such as this example with an in-network MOOP that is less than the combined in-network and out-of-network MOOP:

"Because you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, there is a limit to how much you have to pay out-of-pocket each year for in-network medical services that are covered by our plan (see the Medical Benefits Chart in Section xx, below). This limit is called the maximum out-of-pocket amount for medical services.

As a member of our plan, the most you will have to pay out-of-pocket for in-network covered services in 20xx is $6,700. The amounts you pay for copayments, and coinsurance for in-network covered services count toward this maximum out-of-pocket amount. . . .  If you reach the maximum out-of-pocket amount of $6,700 for in-network services, you will not have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for the rest of the year for in-network covered services. . . .

Your plan also has a combined maximum out-of-pocket amount of $10,000. This is the most you pay during the calendar year for covered plan services received from both in-network and out-of-network providers. . . . If you have paid $10,000 for covered services, you will have 100% coverage and will not have any out-of-pocket costs for the rest of the year for covered services. . . .."  [emphasis added]

• If you choose a Medicare Advantage Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), you should find a more flexible healthcare network allowing you to visit physicians as you travel out-of-state.  However, you probably will also pay more for out-of-network healthcare, and you may need a referral to use an out-of-network provider, even at a higher cost.
  
  
• If you happen to find a Medicare Advantage Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plan in your area, you will learn that the PFFS does not have an established healthcare network and instead, you are allowed to visit any doctor (or healthcare provider) who accepts both Medicare and the Medicare Advantage PFFS plan's terms and conditions.  The challenge with a PFFS plan can be that your doctors or healthcare providers may or may not accept the plan's terms and conditions - and each subsequent visit to a healthcare provider requires that you re-affirm that your PFFS plan is still accepted.  As a note, only a limited number of Medicare Advantage PFFS plans are offered each year as compared to other Medicare Advantage plans.
  
  
• Medicare Advantage plans for "Snow Birds" and "Sun Birds"
  Finally, depending on where you live, you may find Medicare Advantage plans allowing people to travel between different states (or within certain counties of other states) and still be considered in-network for purposes of coverage costs (meaning, you pay the same even when traveling to different states).
  
  For example, some Medicare Advantage plans provided by UnitedHealthcare offer a "Passport ®" feature.  These Medicare Advantage plans are often chosen by "snow birds" or “sun birds” who travel each year from the one state to another (such as from Ohio to Florida).  You can read more in our FAQ about splitting your time between two states.