Best Medicare Advantage Plans in North Dakota (2027)

Medica provides the best Medicare Advantage plans in North Dakota for the four counties it serves. Its median maximum annual cost exposure, the most you’d pay in a year for premiums plus in-network care, is $1,261 below Aetna Medicare’s and UnitedHealthcare’s.

The other three carriers’ worst-case yearly bills are within $79 of each other, so reach and quality matter more than price outside Medica’s counties. Aetna Medicare sells in the most counties. UnitedHealthcare has the highest CMS star rating, a federal 1-to-5 score for care quality and member service, and is the stronger pick where both sell plans.

Check which carriers sell in your county before comparing costs.

North Dakota has a small Medicare Advantage market of 12 plans from four carriers, all PPOs. Medicare Advantage is private coverage that replaces Original Medicare, the federal Part A hospital and Part B medical program. A PPO, or preferred provider organization, lets you see doctors outside its network of contracted providers for a higher cost.

The median North Dakota county has five plans, few enough to compare every local option before enrolling. Half the state’s plans charge no premium and shift more of the cost to copays and the yearly out-of-pocket limit. Where no plan is sold, pair Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement plan, which pays costs Original Medicare leaves to you.

The best Medicare Advantage plan in North Dakota isn't always the one with the lowest premium. Your total health care costs depend on how often you use care, which providers you need and where you live.

Medicare Advantage in North Dakota costs a median $2 a month in premiums, paid on top of the Part B premium. The higher cost is the out-of-pocket limit, the most a plan makes you pay for in-network care in a year, with a median of $6,825.

Across the 12 plans MoneyGeek reviewed, primary care costs $15 a visit, so routine visits barely change your yearly bill. Hospital stays do. Eleven of the 12 plans list a flat daily inpatient copay for the first four to seven days, and a four-day stay at the $418 median costs $1,672.

Enrollees expecting surgery or a hospital stay in 2027 save more by comparing daily inpatient copays than by comparing premiums.

*Median cost figures across all 12 North Dakota Medicare Advantage plans, excluding Special Needs 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 North Dakota Medicare Advantage plans, get free counseling and confirm your enrollment options.   

• North Dakota SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program): Free, unbiased Medicare counseling from the North Dakota Insurance Department, including help comparing 2027 plans. Call 888-575-6611 or book an appointment online.
• North Dakota Insurance Department: Regulates insurers in North Dakota and provides resources to verify carrier licenses and learn about your coverage rights.
• Medicare Plan Finder: Compare Medicare Advantage plans in your North Dakota county by premium, estimated costs, benefits and CMS star ratings.
• Social Security Administration: Processes Medicare enrollment and lets you apply for Part B, update coverage or find a local office.
• North Dakota Health and Human Services Adults and Aging: Connects older adults with in-home services, caregiver support and long-term care options through the Aging and Disability Resource Link.

In North Dakota, the 2027 Medicare Advantage ratings cover 12 plans from four carriers under six CMS contracts, the agreements carriers sign with Medicare to sell plans. Five CMS data sources support the ratings: 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, which serve people with certain chronic diseases or care needs, or who also have Medicaid, are not included. Carriers needed to serve at least three North Dakota counties with complete data across all three scoring categories to qualify, and all four met that threshold.

How We Score Carriers

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

• Affordability (40%): This category uses four cost inputs: maximum annual cost exposure (annual premiums plus the maximum out-of-pocket limit), inpatient hospital costs, specialist costs and primary care costs.
• Quality and Member Experience (40%): CMS Star Ratings make up 60% of this category and CAHPS Rating of Health Plan scores, from the federal survey where members grade their own plan, make up the remaining 40%, both from contract-level data.
• Benefits and Access (20%): Supplemental benefits covering dental, over-the-counter (OTC) allowances, vision and hearing account for 50% of this category, with county coverage at 30% and plan choice per county at 20%.