Best Medicare Advantage Plans in 2025

Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans serve 85 percent of counties across 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. The company offers a wide variety of plan types at different price points to help Medicare beneficiaries find an option that fits their budget and needs.

We found their website very user-friendly, so it’s simple to see what plans are available in your area and what each plan covers. It’s easy to get in touch with customer service, too. Humana’s customer-service team is available via email, online chat, phone, Twitter, and mail, but based on our experience, Cigna still offers better overall customer service.

» Our Full Review: Humana Medicare Advantage Plans Review

Humana Medicare Advantage Plans

• Plans with and without prescription drug coverage
• HMO plans
• PPO plans
• PFFS plans
• SNPs

Along with providing your Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, many of Humana’s plans include extra perks and services at no additional cost. That may include vision care, dental care, hearing care, prescription drug coverage, transportation, healthy meal assistance, meal delivery and a SilverSneakers fitness program membership.

» Learn More: Medicare Advantage Transportation Benefit

Plans, Pricing and Benefits

Humana is known for their variety of Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, but that doesn’t mean every Medicare beneficiary will have access to all of them.

We researched plans available to applicants living in Richmond, Virginia, and were astounded to find 20 plans in total. In the table below, we’ve included Humana’s top three recommended plans, as well as additional PFFS plans and SNPs.

This is just a snapshot of a few of Humana’s plans in Richmond, Virginia. The majority offer $0 premiums, but we encountered premiums ranging from $18 to $128 per month. Most plans also came with $0 primary care copays.

That said, it’s important to understand how much these plans differ in their specific coverage options. Nearly all of the plans include prescription drug coverage, but they offer unique deductibles for Tier 3, 4, and 5 drugs; varied copays for Tier 1 and Tier 2 drugs; and different allowances and discounts for OTC medications.

» Related Reading: Best Medicare Part D Plans for 2025

Lastly, the coverage for dental, vision, and hearing is different with each plan, so it can be a little overwhelming to find a plan that checks all the boxes. Even though having so many plans from one carrier means there’s likely a good fit for just about anyone, the number of options can make choosing a plan a little frustrating, especially when compared to carriers that offer fewer plans, such as Cigna and Kaiser.

We can’t cover all of the unique benefits available with each Humana Medicare Advantage plan, but here are some that stood out:

• Hearing aid coverage
• Common prescription allowance
• Up to $3,000 annual dental allowance
• Gym membership
• $250 glasses or contacts allowance
• Global emergency coverage

» For Frequent Travelers: Senior Travel and Vacations

Anthem is the fifth-largest health carrier in the United States.1 As part of the Elevance Health family of companies, Anthem supports health at every stage of life. For individuals struggling with chronic conditions, needing institutional care, or living on a limited income, Anthem offers special needs plans (SNPs).

» Our Full Review: Anthem Medicare Advantage Plans Review

Anthem’s range of HMO, PPO and SNPs is impressive. With plenty of plan options, price points and benefits, Anthem may be an excellent contender for a Part C plan that supports diverse health-care needs. With coverage in just 14 states, however, Anthem lags behind carriers such as Humana and AARP, so seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries will need to check if the carrier is available in their area.

Anthem Medicare Advantage Plans

• HMO plans
• PPO plans
• D-SNPs
• C-SNPs
• I-SNPs

Many of Anthem’s SNPs have a $0 or low monthly premium and $0 deductible. Benefits may include transportation assistance, a dedicated care team, free healthy meals, and a personal emergency response system (PERS). Medicare SNPs may also cover extra services tailored to the special groups they serve, such as individuals with congestive heart failure.2

Plans, Pricing and Benefits

We think Anthem is best suited for people who are eligible for an SNP, but they also offer more traditional Medicare Advantage plan options. Applicants, however, will need to be located in one of 14 states in which Anthem offers Medicare Advantage. Even then, not every ZIP code is included. Aetna or Wellcare could be better options for people who worry about being ineligible based on location.

We researched plans and pricing available to applicants living in Richmond, Virginia. Here’s what we found.

We found a total of 13 plans available in Richmond, seven of which were SNPs. If you have a chronic condition, disability, or otherwise qualify for an SNP, Anthem could be one of your best options. For those who want the flexibility of a PFFS plan, however, Anthem doesn’t offer any. Humana or Wellcare are both good alternatives for people seeking PFFS plans.

Coverage and perks can vary by plan, but here are some of the benefits that stood out the most with Anthem:

• Essential Extras add-on for transportation and assistive devices
• Dental and vision allowances
• Preventive and comprehensive dental services
• One eye exam per year and a $200 annual vision allowance

» You Might Like: Best Vision Insurance for Seniors

Aetna, a CVS-owned company, has a user-friendly website that makes it easy to find plans in many areas that deliver the services Medicare beneficiaries need. Plus, most searchers can find affordable plans with far more perks than Original Medicare. Aetna estimates that 84 percent of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries have access to an Aetna Part C plan with a $0 monthly premium.5

If reducing your monthly costs is a priority, check to see if Aetna has a plan available near you. Experience, excellent value, and an affiliation with CVS Health’s network of Minute Clinic locations give Aetna an edge over carriers with smaller reach, such as Wellcare and Anthem.

» Our Full Review: Aetna Medicare Advantage Plans Review

Aetna Medicare Advantage Plans

• Plans with and without prescription drug coverage
• HMO plans
• HMO-POS plans
• PPO plans
• D-SNPs

In addition to your Original Medicare benefits, Aetna’s $0 premium plans may include prescription drug coverage, hearing aid coverage, vision care, dental care, a quarterly OTC allowance, free meals after an inpatient stay, and a SilverSneakers fitness membership.

Plans, Costs and Benefits

When searching for Medicare Advantage plans in Richmond, Virginia, we found seven Aetna plans with medical and prescription drug coverage, and one plan with medical-only coverage.

Like Anthem, Aetna doesn’t offer any PFFS plans, but they offer a wide range of $0 premium plans, including HMOs, PPOs and SNPs.

The majority of Aetna’s best-value plans offer prescription drug coverage and a bevy of additional benefits, such as:

• Medical and mental telehealth coverage
• SilverSneakers fitness memberships
• Up to $3,000 annual dental allowance
• $350 monthly allowance for healthy foods, OTC products, utilities and transportation
• Eyewear coverage
• Hearing aid coverage

» Also Check Out: Best Cheap Hearing Aids for Seniors

As part of Centene Corporation, Wellcare has become one of the largest managed care organizations in the U.S., serving one in 15 Americans. Their wide range of plans featuring no-cost health and wellness benefits definitely caught our attention.

» Staying Healthy: Changes in Health and Health-Care Needs as We Age

Many Wellcare plans include an OTC program with an allowance for healthy lifestyle essentials to keep Medicare beneficiaries in tip-top shape. Some plans include a free fitness membership and valuable discounts on services such as acupuncture and massage. Wellcare’s Flex card benefits come with supplemental funds to use for dental, vision, and hearing services beyond your plan benefits.

Wellcare Medicare Advantage Plans

• HMO plans
• PPO
• PFFS plans
• C-SNPs
• D-SNPs

Wellcare offers several $0 premium plans. Plans may include no-cost healthy living support, including preventive services such as flu shots, annual checkups and mammograms. Some coverage comes with a free fitness membership and discounts on alternative and complementary medicine.

Plans, Costs and Benefits

Wellcare offers PDPs in Richmond, Virginia, but it doesn’t offer any Medicare Advantage plans in the state, so we looked at Medicare Advantage plans available to people living in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Although Wellcare doesn’t offer Medicare Advantage plans in as many states or ZIP codes as Humana or AARP, they offer a variety of valuable plans. All but one of the plans we researched offered $0 premiums, and there were plenty of options for HMOs and PPOs.

Wellcare also has several plans that offer a Part B premium reduction, which can put as much as $150 per month back into the policyholder’s Social Security check.6

In addition to low-cost coverage and solid plan variety, Wellcare is all about living up to their name with various health and wellness benefits. Here are a few that caught our eye as we perused each plan:

• Acupuncture
• Telehealth services
• Monthly allowance (unused funds roll over to the next month) for gas, healthy food, utilities, rent, OTC products, and home improvement or safety items
• Chiropractic services
• Annual hearing exam, hearing aid fitting, and up to $1,500 annual hearing aid allowance per ear
• Meal delivery for those who are eligible
• Worldwide emergency coverage

AARP endorses select Medicare Advantage plans provided by UnitedHealthcare. They’re marketed under the AARP name and tend to be more popular than the stand-alone plans offered by UnitedHealthcare. Anyone who qualifies for Medicare and lives in a covered area can apply for an AARP Medicare Advantage plan. You don’t even have to be an AARP member.

AARP offers excellent plan options for veterans, and it’s easy for many other Medicare beneficiaries to find a plan that may fit their medical and budgetary needs. With AARP, you get common benefits such as vision, hearing, and dental care, as well as less common perks such as free virtual doctor’s appointments, free virtual mental health care, and a free personal emergency response system.

» Our Full Review: AARP Medicare Advantage Plans Review

AARP Medicare Advantage Plans

• Plans with and without prescription drug coverage
• HMO plans
• HMO-POS plans
• PPO plans
• PFFS plans
• SNPs

AARP also offers a Medicare Advantage plan that was created with veterans in mind. For those with TRICARE for Life, the AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot Plan may be a great option.

Enrollees can visit any in-network doctor or hospital for a $0 monthly premium. Plus, it complements existing coverage by adding on $0 preventive dental care, $0 routine hearing exams, and savings on hearing aids, a free gym membership, free eye exams, and credits applied to the Medicare Part B premium.

Plans, Costs and Benefits

AARP offers plans through UnitedHealthcare and, for those who choose to become AARP members for an extra $16 per year, ample resources and discounts.

Even with the AARP membership fee, AARP plans through UnitedHealthcare are generally affordable, although certain plans (especially PPOs) can come with high premiums. Despite that drawback, AARP gives consumers up to 60 Part C plans to choose from — even more than Humana.

» You Might Like: AARP Gas Discounts

Those who have a lot of plans available in their area, however, may find it difficult to narrow down their options and pick the best one. We researched AARP plans available in Richmond, Virginia, for example, and found 14 Medicare Advantage plans, eight Medigap plans, and two stand-alone Part D plans. We outlined our top picks for Medicare Advantage below.

AARP offers a variety of SNPs, some of which have $0 premiums and $0 deductibles, and they may be ideal for disabled veterans. The plans offer comprehensive coverage, many with low or no copays for primary care and specialist visits.

Additionally, most of the AARP plans we found were packed with additional benefits, such as:

• Monthly allowance for food, rent, and OTC products
• Over $2,000 allowance for hearing aids
• $3,000 for annual dental coverage
• Free gym membership
• Unlimited rides for doctor or pharmacy visits
• $300 annual eyewear allowance
• Foot-care visits
• Rewards for healthy activities

The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. is part of Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest nonprofit health plans in the U.S. In 2024, J.D. Power ranked Kaiser the highest for Medicare Advantage plan overall satisfaction in California, while AARP (i.e. UnitedHealthcare) achieved the same honor in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois.7

Kaiser has a limited service area, but the company is still worth checking out. Just keep in mind that Kaiser offers HMO plans only. That means Medicare beneficiaries will probably need to choose a primary-care provider, stay in network for affordable care, and get referrals for specialist visits. Given their stellar reviews, though, that may not be a major drawback.

Kaiser Medicare Advantage Plans

• Plans with and without prescription drug coverage
• HMO plans
• SNPs

In addition to offering Medicare Part A and B coverage, Kaiser’s plans may include Part D prescription drug coverage; routine dental, hearing, and vision care; a fitness program; and home-delivered meals.

You can also add an Advantage Plan, which includes a hearing aid allowance, an eyewear allowance, and dental coverage if your plan doesn’t already include it.

Plans, Costs and Benefits

The two biggest drawbacks to Kaiser Medicare Advantage plans are the limited network (just eight states plus Washington, D.C.) and the lack of PPO, PFFS, and SNP options. That is very limited compared to carriers such as Aetna and AARP, both of which offer a variety of plan types throughout most of the country.

Like Wellcare, Kaiser doesn’t offer Medicare Advantage plans in Richmond, Virginia, so we researched plans available in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

We found only four Medicare Advantage plans in our search: three cover medical and prescription drugs, while one (Kaiser Liberty) is medical only. We were disappointed to see that there was only one plan with medical, Part D, and a $0 premium, especially when carriers such as AARP and Humana have dozens of $0 premium plans with prescription drug coverage.

We still found one more plan available through Kaiser than we did with Cigna, however, and all of the plans we found offer some degree of dental, vision, and hearing coverage.

» Learn More: Dental Insurance for Seniors

Despite the limited offerings, the high plan and carrier ratings from CMS are hard to ignore. Additionally, many of the plans include additional benefits, such as:

• $0 copays for telehealth
• All-in-one care at a Kaiser Permanente facility
• $1,000 hearing aid limit per ear (every three years)
• 24 nonmedical, one-way trips per year
• $1,200 allowance for out-of-network care
• $60 quarterly credit for OTC products

Cigna recently sold its Medicare businesses to the Health Care Service Corporation,9 though Medicare beneficiaries can still expect the same plans and prices they got before the acquisition. However, 2025 plans will still remain under the Cigna brand for the remainder of the year. Cigna makes the biggest impact through their excellent customer service.

Navigating health-care decisions, benefits, and claims can be frustrating, especially when you’re not able to reach a customer-service agent. Cigna tries to remedy that problem by having live customer-service representatives available by phone 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Whether you’re confused about coverage or need help understanding a claim, help is only a phone call away, no matter what time it is.

» Our Full Review: Cigna Medicare Advantage Plans Review

Cigna Medicare Advantage Plans

• Plans with and without prescription drug coverage
• HMO plans
• PPO plans
• PFFS plans
• SNPs

In addition to 24/7 live customer service, some plans include 24/7 telehealth. Other perks offered may include a fitness membership, OTC allowance, transportation services, case management, and home-delivered meals.

Plans, Costs and Benefits

Cigna doesn't have much plan variety, so Anthem and Aetna may be better options for people who like having a lot of options and still want quality customer service. Here are the options we found for Cigna Medicare Advantage for applicants in Richmond, Virginia.

Cigna keeps premiums low and offers two plans with Part D coverage and one plan with a Part B premium reduction in Richmond, but we would have liked to see more options.

There weren’t any SNPs or PFFS plans available, and the vast majority of locations where Cigna is available offer traditional HMOs only, with additional coverage and benefits for dental, vision, hearing and OTC products.

» You Might Like: Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Cigna’s plan variety may not compare to Wellcare or AARP, but it makes up for it with excellent customer service. Our personal experience speaking with Cigna’s support staff was always positive, as they were quick to answer and always willing to answer our questions.

Cigna offers some or all of the following coverage and benefits with their Medicare Advantage plans:

• Skilled nursing facility coverage
• Psychiatric services
• $300 annual acupuncture allowance
• $650 annual dental allowance
• $150 annual eyewear allowance
• Routine hearing exams