AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA01 (PPO)

AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA01 (PPO), plan H2406-077-000, is a 2027 Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare, sold in Arizona. Its in-network out-of-pocket limit for the year is $7,150.

This is a PPO, so it pays toward care both inside and outside its network. In-network care costs you less, and an out-of-network provider has to accept Medicare and agree to bill the plan. The plan's Summary of Benefits lists an out-of-network amount for each service next to the in-network one, and that is the column to read before you book a visit outside the network.

To join, you need Medicare Part A and Part B and you have to live in the plan's service area, which covers 13 counties in Arizona for 2027. You keep paying your Part B premium to Medicare.

Counties in the service area include Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham and Greenlee.

This plan reduces your Part B premium, which people call a giveback. It is worth $1,260 over a year, about $105 a month, and it shows up as a lower Part B deduction rather than a payment to you.

In network, a primary care visit is $0, a specialist visit is $0 to $60, the emergency room is $130 and urgent care is $0 to $50. Emergency care and urgently needed services are covered whether or not the provider is in the plan's network, which matters when you are away from home.

An individual mental health visit is $0 to $25 and occupational therapy is $50.

Physical therapy and speech therapy are covered too, at cost shares the plan lists in its Summary of Benefits rather than in the CMS benefit files, so check those two there.

You pay $0 for the preventive services Original Medicare covers when you use a provider in the plan's network. That includes your annual wellness visit, the recommended screenings for your age, and most vaccines. Preventive care is the easiest value to collect from any Medicare Advantage plan, so book the wellness visit early in the year.

Beyond what Original Medicare covers, this plan includes $250 toward glasses or contacts and $700 toward hearing aids. These allowances almost always have to be used with providers and suppliers the plan works with, so check that before you buy, particularly for hearing aids where the plan usually names its own vendor.

The eyewear allowance covers eyeglasses or contact lenses, and it resets each plan year rather than rolling over, so an unused allowance is lost at the end of December.

This plan does not include Part D prescription drug coverage. Most people who choose a plan like this already have drug coverage somewhere else, usually through the VA, TRICARE or a former employer, and that coverage is often creditable, which means keeping it protects you from a late enrollment penalty later.

If you do not have creditable drug coverage, that penalty is the thing to understand before you enroll: it is added to your Part D premium for as long as you have Part D, not just for one year. Whether you can add a separate drug plan while you are on this plan depends on the plan type, so have a licensed agent confirm it for this one rather than assuming.

Some care on this plan needs prior authorization, which means UnitedHealthcare has to approve it before you get it. Specialist services are among those that do. Your doctor's office usually files the request, but the plan may not pay if the approval is skipped, so confirm it is in hand before a scheduled procedure. The plan's evidence of coverage lists every service that needs it.

Here is how AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx AZ-MA01 (PPO) sits against other plans sold in Pima County for 2027.

Wellcare Simple (HMO) has a lower in-network limit at $2,500. Humana Gold Plus H0028-074 (HMO) rates higher at 4.5 stars.

This plan may fit people in the service area who are comfortable with a $7,150 ceiling on in-network costs. Because it is a PPO, you also keep some coverage outside the network, at a higher cost.

Like any Medicare Advantage plan, it changes how your Medicare claims are paid. If you travel often, or you want to use any doctor who accepts Medicare without checking a network, compare it against Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement and a separate drug plan before you decide.

A licensed insurance agent can check all of these against your own doctors and prescriptions at no cost.