Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Idaho (2027)

Humana and UnitedHealthcare provide the best Medicare Advantage plans in Idaho. Both hold a median 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which grades plans from 1 to 5 stars on care quality and member service. Blue Cross of Idaho and PacificSource Medicare rate a full star lower.

Cost barely separates the four. Max annual cost exposure, 12 months of premiums plus the out-of-pocket limit, differs by $825 between the cheapest and priciest carriers at the median, about $69 a month.

With costs this close, quality should decide. Start with Humana or UnitedHealthcare, then confirm your doctors take the plan.

*Medians across each carrier’s Idaho Medicare Advantage plans, excluding Special Needs Plans. Max annual cost exposure is 12 months of premiums plus the out-of-pocket limit. Source: CMS 2027 data, MoneyGeek analysis.

Your county limits your options more than the statewide count suggests, since the median county gets seven of the state’s 33 plans. Medicare Advantage is private insurance that replaces Original Medicare, the federal Part A hospital and Part B medical program. Every plan caps your yearly in-network costs with an out-of-pocket limit, or MOOP.

Six carriers sell plans, but only four are rated. St. Luke’s Health Plan and Range Health have new Idaho contracts with no CMS star ratings or CAHPS scores, Medicare’s member satisfaction survey.
To see any doctor who accepts Medicare, pair Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement plan (Medigap), which pays deductibles and coinsurance, your percentage share of a bill.

In Idaho, monthly premiums are only one part of a Medicare Advantage plan's total cost. Your out-of-pocket maximum, provider network and drug coverage determine what you actually pay.

Idaho HMOs cost less than $0-premium plans in a year of heavy medical use, even though they’re the only plan type that charges a premium at the median. An HMO’s premiums add $432 a year, but its out-of-pocket limit is $1,100 lower than a PPO’s at the median, so a heavy-care year costs about $668 less.

A hospital stay also costs $125 less per day with an HMO, and routine doctor visits carry the same $15 median copay in every plan type.

If you expect surgery next year, compare HMOs in your county before any PPO.

*Median cost figures across all 33 non-SNP Idaho MA plans, grouped by plan type. All dollar figures rounded to nearest dollar. Source: CMS 2027 data, MoneyGeek analysis.

These state and federal resources help you compare Idaho Medicare Advantage plans, check insurer licensing and get enrollment support.

• Idaho SHIBA (State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors): Free, unbiased Medicare counseling through trained volunteers, including help comparing plans and reviewing your enrollment options by county.
• Idaho Department of Insurance: Regulates Idaho insurance carriers and lets you verify a carrier's license or file a complaint if a coverage dispute arises.
• Medicare Plan Finder: Search and compare Medicare Advantage plans in your Idaho county by premium, estimated annual cost, benefits and CMS star rating.
• Social Security Administration: Processes Medicare enrollment and lets you apply online or find a local office for in-person help.
• Idaho Commission on Aging: Connects Idaho residents with local services including Medicare counseling, benefits support and care coordination resources.

MoneyGeek’s 2027 Idaho Medicare Advantage analysis covers 33 plans from six carriers across 12 CMS contracts, excluding Special Needs Plans, and rates the four carriers with complete data. Five CMS data sources feed the analysis: the Medicare Plan Landscape File, Plan Benefit Package files, CMS Star Ratings, the CAHPS Report Card Master Table and the Contract/Plan Enrollment file.   

Special Needs Plans are excluded. To qualify for a rating, a carrier had to serve at least three Idaho counties and have complete data across all three scoring categories. Four of the six carriers met that standard. St. Luke’s Health Plan and Range Health have complete affordability and benefits data, but CMS hasn’t published Star Ratings or CAHPS scores for their new Idaho contracts, so neither appears in the provider reviews.

How We Score Carriers

Each eligible carrier receives an overall MoneyGeek score out of five, built from a weighted average of three categories:   

• Affordability (40%): Maximum annual cost exposure, meaning annual premiums plus the out-of-pocket limit, carries the most weight. Inpatient, specialist and primary care copays fill out the rest.
• Quality and Member Experience (40%): CMS Star Ratings make up 60% of this category and CAHPS Rating of Health Plan scores make up 40%, both measured at the contract level.
• Benefits and Access (20%): Supplemental dental, OTC, vision and hearing benefits count for half. County coverage adds 30% and plan choice per county adds 20%.