Well, 'Ol Del and I do mean "ol" is a Blue Cross "victim"

Go on the medicare website and look at the specifics of that plan. There should be a link that takes you to their network of doctors where you can search to see if the Docs you have are in network. If not, and you like your current Doc, call said Doc and see what they will charge for out of network visits.
If it's an HMO, you're pretty much locked into their network and you need a referral to see a specialist. A PPO allows you more flexibility.

I've never seen the problem with referrals. If you have a regular doctor, they will refer you wherever you want. We can pick up the phone and call out regular MD and he will make a referral "right then" with no visit.