bestMedicare AdvantageLouisianaBest Louisiana Medicare Advantage Plans
Updated: June 3, 2024
Advertising & Editorial Disclosure
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a five-star quality rating system that helps consumers easily compare plans available to them. Using this rating system combined with our own analysis, MoneyGeek found which plans are widely available in Louisiana. To find the best Medicare Advantage plan in Louisiana, we further broke it down based on different plan types, the availability of drug coverage and out-of-pocket limits.
Note that these recommendations are based on general findings. The best for you may be different from other shoppers. Checking whether your preferred provider is within your plan’s network is a great start to finding the best plan for you.
If you're not looking for a Medicare Advantage plan but want to cover out-of-pocket costs that your base Medicare plan doesn't cover, MoneyGeek also ranked the best Medicare Supplement Plans in Louisiana.
bestMedicare AdvantageLouisianaBest Medicare Advantage Plans in Louisiana
Best plan overall - Aetna Medicare
Best HMO plan - UnitedHealthcare
Best plan without drug coverage - UnitedHealthcare
Best plan for low out-of-pocket costs - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Best Medicare Advantage Plan in Louisiana - Overall
One way to identify the best Medicare Advantage plan in Louisiana is to think about your coverage needs as well as your provider preferences.
Consider a shopper in Louisiana who wants a PPO plan with prescription coverage, six essential benefits, an additional benefit and a high CMS rating. For this shopper, the Aetna Medicare Freedom Plan is the best option.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans are more expensive than other types of plans. However, a PPO does have a wider network range, making it more flexible. With a PPO plan, you are not limited to consulting with providers that are inside your network. Patients can see a physician who isn’t in their network for a specific medical condition.
Aetna Medicare
MoneyGeek found that Aetna Medicare Freedom Plan is the best Medicare Advantage plan in Louisiana. Details about the plan are as follows:
- No monthly premiums
- Includes drug coverage
- Annual drug deductible of $150
- An in-network maximum out-of-pocket limit of $6,400
- An overall star rating of 4.5 out of 5 from CMS
Before the drug coverage kicks in, consumers need to pay a $150 deductible each year. Apart from getting the highest CMS rating, Aetna Medicare Freedom Plan has seven essential benefits including vision, dental, hearing, fitness, worldwide emergency, telehealth and over-the-counter drugs.
Best HMO Medicare Advantage Plan in Louisiana
Before buying any plan, it is best to determine your individual coverage needs and, whether the total cost that you need to spend on a plan is within your budget.
Our findings show that shoppers looking for a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan with drug coverage, seven common benefits like vision and hearing, and a high rating from the CMS, may find Peoples Health Choices 65 as a great option.
An HMO plan costs much less than a PPO, however you are limited to specific providers that are inside your network. In an HMO plan, you also need to get a referral from your primary care physician to see a specialist.
UnitedHealthcare
MoneyGeek found that in Louisiana, the best HMO Medicare Advantage Plan is Peoples Health Choice 65 which has the following plan details:
- No monthly premiums
- Includes drug coverage
- An in-network max out-of-pocket limit of $3,600
- An overall star rating of 5 out of 5 from CMS
Across different plans available in Louisiana, this particular Peoples Health plan got the highest rating from the CMS. The plan has seven common additional benefits including vision, dental, hearing, fitness, worldwide emergency, telehealth and over-the-counter drugs.
Best Medicare Advantage Plan in Louisiana Without Drug Coverage
If you don’t need Part D prescription drug coverage, there are more plans available to you.
For shoppers looking for an HMO plan without drug coverage, six core benefits and a high rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the best Medicare Advantage plan in Louisiana is Peoples Health Choices 65.
UnitedHealthcare
MoneyGeek found that in Louisiana, Peoples Health Choices 65 is the best HMO Medicare Advantage plan if you do not need drug coverage. Here’s what you need to know before you buy this plan:
- No monthly premiums
- Includes drug coverage
- An in-network maximum out-of-pocket limit of $3,600
- An overall star rating of 5 out of 5 from CMS
This plan has the six core benefits including vision, dental, hearing, fitness, worldwide emergency and telehealth, as well as the additional benefit of over-the-counter drugs. It also received the highest rating from the CMS.
Best Medicare Advantage Plan in Louisiana for Low Max Out-of-Pocket Costs
In Louisiana, the best Medicare Advantage plan for you should be able to meet your coverage needs within a budget that you can afford. Shoppers who opt for a plan with low or no premiums often end up paying thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. The best option is to find a plan with low- out-of-pocket limits.
A sample shopper in Louisiana looking for a PPO plan with low out-of-pocket cost may find Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s Blue Advantage as the best plan in the state. Inclusions of this plan are a Part D prescription drug coverage, seven essential additional benefits and a high star rating from the CMS.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
By filtering out plans with high MOOP limits, MoneyGeek found the best Medicare Advantage plan in Louisiana with low MOOP. MoneyGeek found that Blue Advantage PPO plan is the best plan regardless if you need drug coverage or not. The plan’s details are as follows:
- $100 monthly premiums
- Includes drug coverage
- Health deductible of $1,000
- An in-network maximum out-of-pocket limit of $4,000
- An out-of-network maximum out-of-pocket limit of $8,000
- An overall star rating of 3.5 out of 5 from CMS
Having low out-of-pocket maximums, even if you are paying monthly premiums and health deductibles, can still help you save money as it pays 100% of the cost as soon as you reach your limit. For this plan, the in-network limit is $4,000 and the out-of-network limit is $8,000. If you expect to have high medical costs within a year due to illnesses, this plan might be the best option.
Medicare Advantage Plan in Louisiana - Statistics
In Louisiana, you can choose between 11 healthcare organizations to find the best Medicare Advantage plan. The following data compares the number of widely available plans and benefits in the state.
- 1
Louisiana Medicare Advantage Plans are a mix of HMO and PPO plans with 75.1% offering drug coverage
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans account for 52.5% of all available plans in Louisiana. While the Health Maintenance Organization accounts for 39.8%. On average, 75.1% of these plans offer drug coverage. You may want to look at HMO plans if you want to opt out of Part D prescription drug coverage.
- 2
66% of Medicare Advantage Plans in Louisiana have a $0 premium
If you’re looking for a plan that has no monthly premiums, there are 33 unique plans with no premiums, accounting for 66% of all plans available in Louisiana. In comparison, 34% of plans in the state require a premium that costs an average of $88.5 per month.
- 3
Hearing, vision and dental benefits are common in Louisiana, with most plans offering them
Hearing, vision, dental and worldwide emergency are widely available in most plans. If you need transportation, in-home support and home safety devices and modification benefits, know that these are rarely offered in the state.
What types of Medicare Advantage Plans are offered in Louisiana?
Randy D. Kearns:
While there are dozens of plans available in each parish, be sure you understand the difference in the plans. This starts with understanding the large differences; a preferred provider organization (PPO), health maintenance organization (HMO) and a health maintenance organization-point of service (HMO-POS). You may also contact an insurance professional who can guide you through the decision-making process. The only thing to be cautious about with this option is to be sure your insurance professional has multiple plans for your consideration. Entertainer-endorsed advantage plans featured in various media advertising may or may not be right for you but be sure to review all your options before making a decision.
What is the best way to shop around for Medicare Advantage plans in Louisiana?
Randy D. Kearns:
A good starting point is the Louisiana Department of Insurance and their Louisiana Senior Health Insurance Information Program. They maintain a list of Advantage Plans by parish, which include general comparisons of plans, benefits and costs.
It is important to understand the difference between the plans that are available and know what the comparison is with the traditional Medicare Part B monthly premium (set at $170.10/month for 2022). Some offer a lower price but may exclude your part D benefit. Some offer more benefits (such as vision or dental coverage).
Due to the nature of how all managed care programs work, there may be doctors, hospitals or other medical services that are not covered by a plan (or require you to pay a higher co-pay in some circumstances). So, before you make that final decision, be sure you know what you are buying and where you can seek network care when you need it.
There are good options for most parishes if you want to move to a Medicare Advantage plan. However, if all of this seems too complicated, seek advice from an insurance professional. Or, if you are still uncertain, your traditional Medicare choices are still reliable choices.
Methodology
MoneyGeek collected data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2022 MA Landscape Source Files released in October 2021. Plans in Louisiana were filtered down to those that offer drug coverage (unless otherwise noted), offer six of the most common Medicare Advantage coverage benefits and are available to at least 50% of the population of Louisiana based on county availability.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick is a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's Head of Insurance. He has analyzed the insurance market for over five years, conducting original research and creating personalized content for every kind of buyer. He has been quoted in several insurance-related publications, including CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick earned a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He is passionate about using his knowledge of economics and insurance to bring transparency around financial topics and help others feel confident in their money moves.