What Are the Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Kentucky?
There is no objectively “best” Medicare plan—the best plan for you is the one that most meets your needs at the lowest total out-of-pocket cost. We can help you in your consideration of whether an MA plan is right for you. We also have objective, licensed insurance agents who can help you free of charge at 1 (844) 965-1378 (TTY 711), Monday–Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
To help people compare the performance of different plans, the federal Medicare program uses a five-star rating system (with five being the highest score). Plans are evaluated in five areas: staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, plan responsiveness, member complaints and discontinuation, and customer service. Plans also receive an overall rating.
The Kentucky MA plans below all have 4 to 4.5 overall stars.
The Best Medicare Advantage Plans In Kentucky
1. Humana Community
2. AARP Medicare Advantage Choice
3. AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1
4. AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2
5. AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 3
6. AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 6
7. AARP Medicare Advantage Walgreens
8. Aetna Medicare Premier 2
Note that prescription coverage with all of these plans has three phases:
1. The initial coverage phase starts after you’ve paid your deductible (if applicable) and lasts up to the initial coverage limit of $4,130.
The gap coverage phase, or the “gap,” starts when the total drug costs paid by you and the plan reach $4,130 and lasts until you meet the prescription out-of-pocket threshold of $6,350.
The catastrophic coverage phase starts when your annual out-of-pocket prescription costs exceed $6,350.
The prescription coverage information below applies primarily to the initial coverage phase and to the drugs included on the plan’s formulary. Be sure to read prescription coverage details carefully.
Remember that there’s no single “best” Medicare plan. The best plan for you is the one that gets you the health coverage you need for the least total cost.
Beneficiaries of this plan enjoy $0 co-pays for primary care and $20 for specialists, including outpatient mental health visits and hearing exams. Hearing aids are covered with a co-pay of $499–$799. Prescriptions in Tier 1 have no co-pay at preferred retailers.
Preventive dental care is included with no cost-sharing, as are eye exams, eyeglasses, and contacts. Comprehensive dental services are either not covered or require 50 to 70 percent coinsurance, so be sure to read the plan details carefully.
AARP Medicare Advantage Choice H8768-012 (PPO)—4 stars
Monthly Premium: $15
Annual Prescription Drug Deductible: $195
Annual Out-of-Pocket Max (not including prescription drugs): $5,500 in-network/$10,000 in and out of network
This plan is available in Franklin, Knott, Anderson, Bell, Fayette, Floyd, Grant, Harlan, Jessamine, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Madison, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Whitley, and Woodford counties. As a PPO plan, it offers different cost-sharing levels for in-network and out-of-network providers. You’ll have $10 co-pays for in-network primary care visits and $30–$60 for out-of-network.
For specialist visits, those co-pays bump up to $45 and $60, respectively. Hearing exams will cost you nothing, and hearing aids will run you between $375 and $2,075. One perk of this plan is that preventive dental care is offered with no cost-sharing regardless of what provider you see. Comprehensive dental coverage is a bit complicated, though, with coinsurance rates between 0 and 50 percent. And routine eye exams, glasses, and contacts from in-network providers are fully covered. AARP MA Plans are offered through UnitedHealthcare.
AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 H5253-067 (HMO)—4 stars
Monthly Premium: $26
Annual Prescription Drug Deductible: $150
Annual Out-of-Pocket Max (not including prescription drugs): $4,500
Residents of Knox, Woodford, Letcher, Madison, Perry, Franklin, Pike, Anderson, Jessamine, Fayette, Bell, Knott, Floyd, Leslie, Whitley, and Harlan counties have access to this plan. There’s no co-pay for primary care visits and $35 co-pays for specialists. Preventive dental care is fully covered, while comprehensive dental services require between 0 and 50 percent coinsurance.
Hearing exams have no co-pay, but hearing aids cost between $375 and $2,075. Routine eye exams, glasses, and contacts are fully covered. With this plan, you’ll get your best prices for Tier 1 and 2 prescription drugs by getting 90-day supplies by mail from preferred retailers.
AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 H5253-100 (HMO)—4 stars
Monthly Premium: $26
Annual Prescription Drug Deductible: $150
Annual Out-of-Pocket Max (not including prescription drugs): $4,500
This plan is essentially the same as the AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 listed above, but it’s available in Bullitt, Larue, Meade, Oldham, Hardin, Spencer, Shelby, Henry, Nelson, Taylor, Marion, and Jefferson counties.
AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 3 H5253-051 (HMO)—4 stars
Only residents of Campbell, Kenton, Pendleton, Boone, and Grant counties have access to this plan, which offers a lower out-of-pocket maximum in exchange for a higher monthly premium. Its other benefits are comparable to the plans immediately above. Primary care visits have a $5 co-pay, and specialists are $25. Tier 1 drugs have a $0 co-pay (though Tier 6 specialty care drugs are not covered at all).
Preventive dental is fully covered, but comprehensive requires up to 50 percent cost-sharing. Routine vision exams, glasses, and contacts are fully covered. Hearing exams are fully covered, and hearing aids cost between $375 and $2,075. Podiatry care with this plan is slightly cheaper than most, with a $25 co-pay rather than the typical $35.
AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 6 H5253-052 (HMO)—4 stars
Monthly Premium: $0
Annual Prescription Drug Deductible: $195
Annual Out-of-Pocket Max (not including prescription drugs): $4,900
This plan has rather limited availability: Boone, Grant, Campbell, Kenton, and Pendleton counties. You’ll get the best price on prescriptions (sometimes $0) with 90-day supplies from preferred retailers. Hospital stays are slightly more expensive with this plan than others, at $350 per day for the first five days (compared to other plans at $275 or less for the first four or five days), but beyond day five, inpatient care is fully covered.
At $45, specialist visits are also just slightly more expensive, while primary care visits are the typical $5 co-pay. With the standard plan, preventive dental care is fully covered; some comprehensive dental services are also fully covered, but others aren’t covered at all. Enrollees may purchase optional supplemental benefits that expand dental coverage. Vision and hearing benefits are the same as with the plans above.
AARP Medicare Advantage Walgreens H8768-015 (PPO)—4 stars
Monthly Premium: $0
Annual Prescription Drug Deductible: $250
Annual Out-of-Pocket Max (not including prescription drugs): $5,100 in-network/$10,000 in and out of network
With this plan, available in just Kenton, Campbell, and Boone counties, you’ll pay the lowest price at in-network providers. It also has a two-tiered out-of-pocket max for in-network and out-of-network services. Specialist visit co-payments are on the higher side, at $50, while primary care visits require no cost-sharing. This plan has a slightly lower star rating for its prescription plan than the other plans listed here.
As with many plans, you’ll get your best costs with 90-day prescription supplies through preferred retailers. With the standard plan, preventive dental is fully covered, regardless of what healthcare provider you visit, but not all comprehensive services covered. Optional supplemental dental benefits can be purchased. Note that hearing aids are not covered under this plan.
Aetna Medicare Premier 2 H5521-020 (PPO)—4 stars
This plan is also limited to Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties. A big perk of this plan is that hearing aids are fully covered, regardless of the healthcare provider you visit. Another appealing benefit is that vision care and eyewear, including upgrades, are almost entirely covered. The plan’s prescription coverage has just over three stars, though.
You trade a $0 prescription drug deductible for co-pays on all prescriptions, but it’s not exorbitant, especially for Tier 1 and 2 drugs. Inpatient hospital stays cost slightly less than with some other plans, and primary care and specialist visits have typical co-pays of $5 and $40, respectively.
Mental health visit co-pays ($40) are also slightly higher than average. This plan’s dental coverage isn’t the most robust: fluoride treatments aren’t covered, and comprehensive dental services require 50 to 70 percent co-payment or aren’t covered at all.
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