How To Find the Best Medicare Advantage Plan in Kentucky

Written by Ari Parker — Updated: Wednesday, July 10, 2024

After enrolling, people on Medicare can choose to stay on Original Medicare or switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. If you’re not sure which type of coverage is right for you, we’ve got you covered with a complete comparison of Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. If you’ve chosen to move to Medicare Advantage or simply want to better understand what your options are for Medicare Advantage plans in Kentucky, you’re in the right place! In this guide, we’ll cover some quick facts about Medicare Advantage in Kentucky, dive into the details of how Medicare Advantage plans work, and then share factors to consider and top-rated plans. 

If you’d rather talk to someone to understand Kentucky’s Medicare options, we’re here to help! Our licensed Medicare agents are a wonderful resource to understand what’s out there and choose the best Kentucky Medicare Advantage plan for your needs. 

Key takeaways:

  • Depending on the county you live in, you can choose from 30-47 Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans.

  • Medicare Advantage plans are all different and come with pros and cons. Understanding these pros and cons can help you choose a plan that suits your needs.

  • You’ll want to consider key factors concerning your healthcare needs to find the best Kentucky Medicare Advantage plan for your needs.

  • You can work with one of our licensed Kentucky Medicare agents to make comparing plans and enrolling in the right plan easy. 

Quick facts about Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans

While you should base your Medicare decisions on your specific health and financial needs, it can be nice to understand the options available and what others choose. To provide some broad information on Medicare Advantage plans in Kentucky, here are some quick facts!

  • In 2023, 53% of Medicare recipients in Kentucky chose to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. 

  • There are a total of 81 Medicare Advantage plans in Kentucky, but plan availability varies by county.

  • Boone County, Campbell County, and Kenton County each have 47 Medicare Advantage plans available, which is the most offered in any Kentucky county.

  • Six counties have 30 Medicare Advantage plans available, which is the lowest number available in any Kentucky county.

How Medicare Advantage plans work: Pros and cons

No medical insurance is perfect. It’s important to understand the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage plans before enrolling to ensure you know what you may be giving up in return for some of the benefits.

Benefits of Medicare Advantage plans

One of the biggest benefits of Medicare Advantage plans is that they offer additional benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t. The most popular benefits are prescription drug coverage and dental, vision, and hearing coverage. Below are some of the other benefits that these plans provide to increase their value:

Medicare Advantage plans often offer these additional benefits with no (or a low) additional premium. 

These benefits sound great, but all good things come with a cost, so let’s explore the drawbacks of Medicare Advantage plans.

Drawbacks of Medicare Advantage plans

Medicare Advantage plans operate within local provider networks and often require prior authorization. These two elements can limit your access to care. Medicare Advantage plans often require prior authorization for you to receive coverage for care. This can delay your access to care or cause bigger issues if authorization is denied. Original Medicare doesn’t require prior authorization for covered services. 

With provider networks, you’ll be limited to the plan’s network of doctors and specialists if you want to receive full coverage. This can be particularly challenging for people who have more than a couple of doctors who they see regularly. It’s also a drawback for people who travel a lot and may need to see a doctor in another state. With Original Medicare, on the other hand, you can see any doctor who accepts Medicare—which is about 90% of doctors nationwide. 

Provider networks aren’t always bad—especially if you choose a plan that covers all your preferred doctors. Reviewing the details and comparing plans isn’t exactly easy though. This is because every Medicare Advantage plan is different. Premiums, deductibles, copays, provider networks, prescription coverage, and extra benefits will all vary from one plan to another. It can be difficult for anyone to compare all the details to find the best Medicare Advantage plan for their needs.

Things to consider when picking the best Medicare Advantage plan

With so much variance between Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans, comparing 30+ plans at once can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve gathered a list of key questions to consider when comparing your options.

Do you have doctors who you prefer to see?

If you’re seeing one or more doctors who you’d prefer to continue seeing, jot their names down so you can be sure they’re in your chosen plan’s network. 

What prescriptions are you taking?

Most Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage as an extra benefit—but remember that prescription coverage varies from one plan to another. Make sure to take note of all your prescriptions so you can compare prescription coverage and costs between plans. There are a handful of Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans that don’t include prescription drug coverage. If one of those is the best plan for your specific needs, you’ll still need your list of prescriptions to choose the right prescription drug plan.

What healthcare services do you need?

All Medicare Advantage plans will cover at least the same services as Original Medicare. But if you need frequent or expensive healthcare services, you should pay attention to all the details of your plan to minimize your healthcare expenses. Specifically, you should look at plans with lower deductibles and lower annual out-of-pocket limits to reduce your costs. Sometimes it’s even worth choosing a Medicare Advantage plan that has a premium (vs. a zero-dollar premium plan) to save more over the course of the year.

Which additional health and wellness benefits are you most interested in?

Many people get excited about the extra benefits that Medicare Advantage plans provide—but benefits vary between plans. Take note of the benefits you think you could get the best value from. For example, if you are considering joining a gym, a free gym membership included with your plan could be a good benefit. If you don’t need a lot of healthcare services and need to save money, the Part B premium give back benefit may be enticing. 

Top-rated Kentucky Medicare Advantage Plans

The questions above will help you narrow down the plan options down to those that will best fit your health and wellness needs. From here, star ratings can be a good way to narrow in on the best Medicare Advantage plan in Kentucky for you.

Every year, Medicare assigns star ratings to Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. These ratings are based on member satisfaction, plan details, and info from healthcare providers. Plans are given a rating from 1-5, with a 5-star rating being the best. Kentucky residents have access to some 4.5 and 5-star plans—but you’ll need to check within your county to determine if one is available to you. 

In 2024, Kentucky has 5-star Medicare Advantage plans offered by Essence Healthcare and Humana.

In 2024, Kentucky has 4.5-star plans are offered by:

  • Humana

  • UnitedHealthCare

While a top-rated Medicare Advantage plan could be a good option, it’s always best to compare all plans available while considering your health and financial needs. 

Finding the Best Kentucky Medicare Advantage Plan for you

Sorting through the 30 or more Kentucky Medicare Advantage plans available to you can feel incredibly overwhelming, especially since each has its own pricing, rating, and benefits. That’s why we’re here! We can help you understand the differences between plans, compare the plans that meet your needs, and enroll in the best Kentucky Medicare Advantage plan.

Give us a call at 855-900-2427 or schedule a time to chat to get Medicare checked off your list today.

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