Best Minnesota Medicare Advantage Plans

MoneyGeek used the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) five-star quality rating system to determine which Medicare Advantage plans are widely available in Minnesota with high ratings. Our comprehensive guide analyzes which plans are best based on plan type, whether you need drug coverage and to keep costs low with out-of-pocket limits.

Keep in mind that these are general recommendations. You should compare plans to figure out which Medicare Advantage plan best fits your needs. Doing this ensures that local hospitals and providers are within the network.

The best Medicare Advantage plan in Minnesota addresses your needs. For MoneyGeek’s sample Minnesota Medicare Advantage shopper who wants a PPO plan with drug coverage, the six core benefits and a high star rating from the CMS, we found the best plan is HealthPartners Journey Pace from HealthPartners.

A preferred provider organization (PPO) is the second-most common healthcare plan type and offers several perks. It has a wider network, meaning you have more choices of hospitals, doctors and treatment centers. It also provides greater flexibility because you don’t need a referral to meet with a specialist. One downside is that you usually have to pay a higher premium.

The best HMO Medicare Advantage plan in Minnesota depends on your individual healthcare needs. MoneyGeek found UCare Prime by UCare is often the best plan for a Minnesota buyer looking for an HMO Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage, the six core benefits and a high star rating from the CMS.

A health maintenance organization or HMO is the most common plan type and tends to be cheaper compared to others like PPOs. Unless you’re in an emergency, an HMO requires you to stay within your network to make sure you get coverage. You also need a referral to see a specialist.

If you don’t need Part D prescription drug coverage, there are more Medicare Advantage healthcare plan options in Minnesota.

MoneyGeek found that UCare Value Plus by UCare is the best plan without drug coverage that offers at least six core benefits and a high star rating from the CMS.

You may also consider HealthPartners Journey Pace by HealthPartners. It’s a PPO plan that is highly rated by the CMS and has the six benefits while including drug coverage, whether you need it or not.

Even though many Medicare Advantage plans have low or no premiums, you may need to pay for expenses out of pocket, which can reach thousands a year.

In Minnesota, MoneyGeek found HealthPartners Journey Stride by HealthPartners might be ideal for a Minnesota shopper who wants a Medicare Advantage plan with a low in-network max-out-of-pocket (MOOP) limit, drug coverage, six core benefits and a high star rating from the CMS.

There are 11 different healthcare organizations that offer Medicare Advantage plans in Minnesota. MoneyGeek compiled statistics below to demonstrate whether Medicare Advantage plan components in Minnesota are rare or common.

MoneyGeek collected data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2022 MA Landscape Source Files released in October 2021. Plans in Minnesota 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 Minnesota based on county availability.