AARP offers Medicare Advantage plans, including Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS), and Special Needs Plans (SNPs).
The American Association of Retired People (AARP) is an advocacy group that offers special benefits to its members. They offer Medicare Advantage plans that include Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS), and Special Needs Plans (SNPs).
Although AARP offers plans in every state, you’ll need to check which ones are available in your area.
In this article, we’ll go over where these plans are sold, what benefits come with different types of plans, and what your potential costs may be.
Each plan that AARP offers comes with different costs and benefits. Review the benefit summaries and plan documents carefully before you enroll in a plan.
Next, we’ll take a closer look at each type of AARP Medicare Advantage plan.
AARP Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits such as:
- network of providers, plus the flexibility to go out of network to visit the provider of your choice
- $725 per year Flex card for dental, vision, and hearing out-of-pocket costs, as well as exercise equipment, activity trackers, and Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS)
- no-cost preferred generic drugs
- preventive and comprehensive dental with no additional premium
- vision exams and eyeglasses with no additional premium
- hearing exams and hearing aids
AARP PPO plans
AARP Medicare Advantage offers Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans in many of its markets.
With a PPO, you have a bit of freedom to choose from among healthcare providers who are either in the plan’s preferred network or outside the network.
Keep in mind, though, that costs are much lower if you use an in-network provider.
Another perk of a PPO is that you usually won’t need a referral from your primary care provider if you need to see a specialist.
AARP PFFS plans
AARP also offers Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) plans in some of its service areas. PFFS plans operate differently than ordinary Part C plans.
Your insurer sets the amount it will pay for each medical service — but if your healthcare professional doesn’t accept the set fee, they don’t have to treat you. That means your doctor has the option of providing some services to you and not others.
Medicare Advantage PFFS plans still cover the same care covered by original Medicare. And because they’re Part C plans, they also offer extra benefits, though these vary from plan to plan.
With most PFFS plans, you can see any Medicare-approved doctor. You won’t need to choose a primary care provider or get a referral to see a specialist.
Two final things to note: PFFS plans aren’t offered in all areas, and premiums are sometimes higher than with other plans.
AARP HMO D-SNP plans
AARP Medicare Advantage offers HMO Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) in many locations. These plans are specially designed for people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Most HMO D-SNPs have no premiums, deductibles, or copays. They offer several important benefits, such as:
- OTC Plus card for:
- OTC and health-related items
- healthy foods
- fitness equipment and activity trackers
- personal emergency response systems (PERS)
- home utilities such as gas, oil, electric, water, and internet service
- Prescription drug coverage as low as $0
- Comprehensive dental
- Hearing exams and hearing aids
- Vision exams and eyeglasses
- SilverSneakers fitness program
- Acupuncture
AARP offers two distinct Part D plan options in 2025:
- AARP Medicare Rx Saver from UHC (PDP): This plan has a wide network of pharmacies and lower premiums and deductibles.
- AARP Medicare Rx Preferred from UHC (PDP): This Part D plan offers a wide network of pharmacies, higher premiums, and a low deductible.
Many of AARP’s Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage as part of their benefits package. If you’d like this coverage bundled into your Medicare Advantage plan, you can select this option when searching from plans in your area.
AARP offers Medicare Advantage plans nationwide and in a few U.S. territories. Not all of their plans may be available where you live, and costs may vary based on your location.
AARP Medicare Advantage plans cover the same basic services offered by Medicare Part A and Part B (together referred to as Original Medicare). Many of these plans also cover:
- preventive or comprehensive dental care
- eye exams and glasses or contact lenses
- hearing aids
- fitness programs or gym memberships
- annual physical examinations
- flu shots and other vaccines
- telehealth (virtual visits)
- 24-hour nurse hotline
In addition to the standard hospital and outpatient medical care that’s covered because Advantage plans must match original Medicare coverage, you’ll get some extra benefits, like those listed above. Along with this extra coverage, some plans include alternative health services, such as chiropractic care and acupuncture.
To find out which benefits are included in your plan, read the plan documents carefully before you enroll.
Your costs and benefits will vary from plan to plan, so be sure to review the plan documents as you consider which plan will best fit your healthcare needs and your budget.
Here are some examples of AARP Medicare Advantage plan options in 2025:
| Atlanta, GA: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC GA-0005 (HMO-POS) | Phoenix, AZ: AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC AZ-0006 (PPO) | Orlando, FL: AARP Medicare Advantage CareFlex from UHC FL-39 (HMO-POS) | Chicago, IL: AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx IL-MA01 (PPO) | New York, NY: UHC Medicare Advantage NY-0021 (Regional PPO) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium with drug coverage (monthly) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $75 |
| Health plan deductible (annual) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $900 |
| Drug plan deductible (annual) | $420 | $420 | $495 | $250 | $570 |
| Out-of-pocket max (in network) | $6,700 In-network $10,100 Out-of-network | $4,900 In-network $10,100 In and Out-of-network | $6,700 In-network $10,100 In and Out-of-network | $6,700 In- $10,100 In and Out-of-network | $8,900 In-network $14,000 In and Out-of-network |
| Primary care provider visit copay | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Specialist visit copay | $0–$35 | $0–$30 | $0–$50 | $0–$40 | $0–$40 |
Medicare Advantage (Part C) is a type of health insurance plan offered by private insurance companies. The federal government requires them to provide the same basic level coverage as original Medicare (Part A and Part B).
These plans usually provide some extra coverage benefits, which will vary according to the specific plan.
Not every company that sells Medicare Advantage plans will offer coverage in every state. To compare plans in your specific area, you can use Medicare’s plan finder tool to find the plan that best meets your needs.
AARP offers Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) plans. Like other Medicare Advantage products, these plans offer the same basic coverage as original Medicare plans but with additional benefits like vision, dental, and preventive care services.
In 2025, AARP offers HMO-SNP, HMO D-SNP, PPO, and PFFS plan options. Although plans from AARP are available nationwide, check the AARP website or use the Medicare plan finder tool to find out which plans are available where you live.