Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Illinois (2026)

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Updated: September 17, 2026

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Best Medicare Advantage Providers in Illinois

Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL NM, UnitedHealthcare, Wellcare, Clear Spring Health and Humana are the best Medicare Advantage carriers in Illinois for 2026.

UnitedHealthcare is the only Illinois carrier with a 4-star CMS rating as its plans scored above the federal benchmark for care coordination and claims handling, and it covers 100 of Illinois's 102 counties.

Clear Spring Health limits median annual cost exposure to $3,000, $1,700 below the Illinois median of $4,700, so an enrollee who reaches the annual limit pays $1,700 less than under the average Illinois plan that year. Most of Illinois is outside Clear Spring Health's 11-county Chicago metro footprint and 4 outstate counties, so Clear Spring is only an option for Chicago-area enrollees or Clinton, Madison, Macoupin and St. Clair areas.   

Only 37.2% of Illinois Medicare Advantage plans include hearing coverage. Wellcare provides hearing benefits on all seven plans at $0 monthly premium and covers 97 of Illinois's 102 counties. Humana covers all 102 Illinois counties and is  available to all Illinois residents.

Available plans differ by county, so check your area before comparing.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of IL, NM
4.1
$4,500
3.5
79
5
UnitedHealthcare
4.1
$4,900
4
100
18
Wellcare
4.1
$3,900
3
97
7
Clear Spring Health
4.1
$3,000
3
15
3
Humana
4.1
$4,700
3.5
102
27
HealthSpring
4
$4,000
3
27
7
Aetna Medicare
4
$5,500
3.5
97
24

Illinois Medicare Advantage Market Overview

Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with a private plan that bundles hospital, medical and usually drug coverage. In Illinois, 87% of plans charge no monthly premium, so the annual out-of-pocket limit is the number that separates most options. Annual out-of-pocket limit ranges from $2,000 to $9,250 in Illinois, a $7,250 difference that determines what you pay in a year of heavy care use. Illinois also has a Medicare Supplement market for enrollees who prefer to keep Original Medicare and add separate gap coverage.

Non-SNP Medicare Advantage plans
121
Illinois's 121-plan pool rewards a clear filtering approach. Narrowing by network, drug formulary and cost before comparing saves time.
Carriers
13
13 carriers competing across Illinois creates more pricing variation between insurers than within any single company's plans.
CMS contracts
32
32 CMS contracts span 13 Illinois carriers. Star ratings differ by contract, so checking plan-level ratings before enrolling matters.
Median plans per county
24
With 24 local plans per county, most Illinois residents can build a solid comparison list without searching statewide.
Medicare Advantage enrollment in non-SNP plans
937,645
With nearly 1 million enrollees, Illinois plan ratings draw from one of the largest datasets in our analysis.
Plans with a $0 premium
87%
87% of Illinois plans charge no monthly premium beyond Part B, so benefits and out-of-pocket limits are the more meaningful cost comparison.
Median max out-of-pocket (MOOP)
$4,700
Illinois's $4,700 median MOOP keeps annual in-network costs well below the $9,250 federal maximum for most enrollees.
MOOP range
$2,000–$9,250
Plan selection in Illinois carries a $7,250 annual cost swing between the lowest and highest MOOP plan.
Average CMS star rating
3.63 out of 5
Most Illinois contracts don't meet the four-star CMS benchmark. Quality varies enough to make plan-level research worthwhile.
Contracts rated 4+ stars
31%
Only 3 in 10 Illinois contracts clear four CMS stars. Finding those contracts before enrolling is worth the effort.
Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.4/5Affordability
3.8/5Quality & Member Experience
4/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,500

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    79

  • Plans Available

    5
UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.1/5Affordability
4.1/5Quality & Member Experience
4.3/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,900

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4

  • Counties Served

    100

  • Plans Available

    18
WellCare

WellCare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
3.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.5/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $3,900

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3

  • Counties Served

    97

  • Plans Available

    7
Clear Spring Health

Clear Spring Health

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.8/5Affordability
3.4/5Quality & Member Experience
3.9/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $3,000

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3

  • Counties Served

    15

  • Plans Available

    3
Humana

Humana

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.2/5Affordability
3.8/5Quality & Member Experience
4.5/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,700

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    102

  • Plans Available

    27
HealthSpring

HealthSpring

MoneyGeek Rating
4/ 5
4.6/5Affordability
3.5/5Quality & Member Experience
3.7/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,000

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3

  • Counties Served

    27

  • Plans Available

    7
Aetna Medicare

Aetna Medicare

MoneyGeek Rating
4/ 5
4.1/5Affordability
3.8/5Quality & Member Experience
4.3/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $5,500

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    97

  • Plans Available

    24

How to Find the Best Illinois Medicare Advantage Plans

The right plan depends on your preferred doctors, prescription needs and out-of-pocket costs you're comfortable paying.

  1. 1
    Check Your Doctor and Hospital Network

    Confirm your primary care doctor, specialists and preferred hospitals are in the plan's network before enrolling. HMO plans limit coverage to in-network providers except in emergencies. If your primary care doctor or specialist is not in your plan's network, you must switch providers or pay out of pocket for every visit.

  2. 2
    Compare Maximum Out-of-Pocket Costs

    The out-of-pocket maximum is the most you can pay in one year for covered services. Illinois plans range from $2,000 to $9,250. A plan with a $9,250 limit costs $7,250 more than a $2,000-limit plan if you reach the annual cap, even with a $0 monthly premium.

  3. 3
    Review Prescription Drug Coverage

    Most Medicare Advantage plans in Illinois include Part D drug coverage, but each plan uses its own formulary. Each plan's formulary assigns your medications to tiers, and higher tiers mean higher copays. Confirm every drug you take appears on the plan's formulary before enrolling.

  4. 4
    Evaluate Additional Benefits

    Dental, vision and hearing benefits vary in annual limits as well as in availability. In Illinois, dental maximums range from $250 to $20,000 across plans. Confirm the dental, vision and hearing annual maximum before factoring their availability into your comparison.

  5. 5
    Consider CMS Star Ratings

    CMS rates every Medicare Advantage plan from 1 to 5 stars on preventive care, member experience and customer service. Only 31% of Illinois Medicare Advantage contracts reach the 4-star quality benchmark. When costs and networks are similar, choose the higher-rated plan.

How Much Does Medicare Advantage Cost in Illinois?

HMO plans have the lowest median annual cost exposure at $3,900 and limit care to in-network providers, but this only applies when you stay within the network. PPO plans extend to out-of-network providers but carry a $5,000 median cost exposure, $1,100 above the $3,900 HMO median.

Regional PPO plans carry a $37 median monthly premium, which adds $444 per year before care costs begin, and a $6,975 median annual cost exposure, the highest in Illinois. HMO plans carry a $20 median primary care copay cost, $5 above the $15 charged by all other plan types, so each primary care visit costs more on an HMO than on any other structure.

Median Monthly Premium
$0
$0
$0
$37
Median Max Out-of-Pocket
$3,900
$4,050
$5,000
$6,975
Median Inpatient Copay
$295
$332
$375
$520
Median PCP Copay
$20
$15
$15
$15
Median Specialist Copay
$32
$32
$40
$20

*Median cost figures across all 121 non-SNP Illinois MA plans, grouped by plan type. All dollar figures rounded to nearest dollar. Source: CMS 2026 data, MoneyGeek analysis.

Illinois Medicare Advantage Resources

Illinois residents can compare Medicare Advantage plans, get free counseling and find help with costs through these state and federal programs.

  • Illinois SHIP (Senior Health Insurance Program): Offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling through trained volunteer counselors across Illinois. SHIP helps you compare plan options, review annual costs and understand enrollment rules at no charge.
  • Medicare.gov Plan Finder: The federal comparison tool lets you filter Illinois Medicare Advantage plans by ZIP code, prescription drugs, costs and CMS star rating.
  • Illinois Department of Insurance: The state agency that licenses and regulates carriers operating in Illinois. Use it to verify a carrier's standing, review consumer protections or file a complaint about plan billing.
  • Illinois Department on Aging: The state agency overseeing senior services in Illinois, including SHIP counseling locations near your county.
  • Social Security Administration: Handles Medicare enrollment for most Illinois residents. You can apply for Medicare, check your enrollment status or set up Part B premium payments through SSA.
Compare Medicare Advantage Rates

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Best Illinois Medicare Advantage: FAQ

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Our Methodology

For the 2026 plan year, MoneyGeek profiled Illinois Medicare Advantage carriers across five CMS data sources: the Medicare Plan Landscape File, Plan Benefit Package files, CMS Star Ratings, the CAHPS Report Card Master Table and the Contract/Plan Enrollment file.   

How We Score Carriers

Illinois carriers each land a MoneyGeek score out of five based on three weighted categories.   

  • Affordability (40%): Maximum annual cost exposure incorporates annual premiums, the out-of-pocket maximum and inpatient hospital, specialist and primary care costs.
  • Quality and Member Experience (40%): This category gives 60% of its weight to CMS Star Ratings and 40% to CAHPS C26 member ratings. MoneyGeek reads both at the contract level.
  • Benefits and Access (20%): Supplemental benefits, including dental, OTC, vision and hearing, occupy 50% of this category. County coverage and plan choice per county split what remains at 30% and 20%.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships affect his recommendations.

Mark studied at Boston College and later earned a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in financial risk management at State Street before joining MoneyGeek. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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