PPOs provide Medicare services through any Medicare physician. There are no referrals required to see specialists with PPO plans. Most PPOs also provide Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage as part of the plan. By law, PPO plans, like all other Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, must be at least as good as Original Medicare.

Everyone in a PPO can see any Medicare doctor or hospital for healthcare services. PPOs have a “network” of physicians that provide higher levels of discounts for members, so many people choose to receive most of their services within network providers. Networks differ by company and even by plan, so one consideration of whether a PPO might be right for you is whether the majority of your physicians are “in network.” Unlike HMOs, PPOs do not require referrals to see a specialist.

Many people like help deciding which plan is a good choice for them. Plans vary widely from company to company and from place to place, and when comparing plans between companies it’s important to compare the fine print—not just the premiums. That’s what Aon Hewitt Navigators Insurance Services Inc. (formerly known as Senior Educators Insurance Services) was created for—to provide free, professional assistance to Medicare recipients to help them choose appropriate coverage. To request help now, please fill out the short informational form here so a licensed agent can be well informed about your healthcare preferences. Or simply give us a call to speak with a licensed agent now!

If you prefer to do the research by yourself, we’ve created a number of tools to help you do so. First, we have created our Top 10 Tips for Navigating Medicare, which captures a very high-level perspective on what to consider based on our years of experience. Second, we have created a plan comparison engine that shows you a list of the plans available in your area. To access that tool, enter your zip code on the side of this page and click the “Find Plans” button. We hope that if you find a plan through our tools, you’ll enroll through our organization, as this is what allows us to provide excellent, professional and impartial information and help.