Shopping for a PPO for my mother with cancer

Hello all!

Age: 71, Female, retired Income: ~$15,000 ZIP: 92346, 91750 (California)

I'm trying to find the best care for my mother (71) with pancreatic cancer. The signs and symptoms seem to worsen with every week and I'm not happy how long and far a part her appointments are with her care team. She will begin chemotherapy within a few days from now.

She has HMO Medicare Advantage and Medicare A/B however I'm not sure how I would go about shopping for a PPO "for her". I put that in quotation marks because every time when I bring the topic of PPO she gets frustrated because all she thinks of are the higher monthly fees – she really doesn't want to spend a dime if her HMO is free. But this is a life or death situation where time and quality of care is essential.

Is buying PPO insurance as simple as it as getting Gov Marketplace insurance? We're in California.

Should I speak to her insurance rep, if any, if I can get supplemental insurance (is that another plan?) to help pay for treatment?

Are there special exceptions where I can add a parent onto my insurance plan? I recently just started a new job (9 months in) and I haven't gotten coverage yet. I do claim my mother on y taxes as a dependent.

Thank you all in advance!

submitted by /u/worlds2get
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