Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Pennsylvania (2026)

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Updated: September 12, 2026

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Best Medicare Advantage Companies in Pennsylvania

UPMC for Life and Highmark are the best Medicare Advantage companies in Pennsylvania for 2026. Both earn 4.5 out of 5 CMS stars, the highest quality score of any ranked Pennsylvania carrier, with $0-premium plans available across most of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

Five of the nine ranked carriers reach that same 4.5-star level, so quality ratings alone won't narrow your choice. Your county determines which carriers are available to you, and your priorities, whether cost, supplemental benefits or coverage area, decide the best fit among them. Aetna Medicare and UnitedHealthcare cover all 67 counties and are the starting point for members who haven't confirmed which carriers serve their area.

Wellcare has the lowest annual spending cap at $6,200 and includes dental, vision and hearing on every plan. Independence Blue Cross concentrates 17 plans in southeastern Pennsylvania and has the lowest specialist copay of the nine carriers at $20 per visit, it's the strongest option for residents of those five counties who see specialists regularly.

UPMC for Life
4.5
$6,600
4.5
61
14
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield or Highmark Blue Shield
4.5
$6,368
4.5
66
38
Geisinger Gold
4.4
$6,725
4.5
63
8
Aetna Medicare
4.3
$6,900
4.5
67
27
Capital Blue Cross
4.3
$6,982
4.5
21
10
Wellcare
4.2
$6,200
3.5
63
3
Jefferson Health Plans
4.2
$6,500
3.5
20
6
Independence Blue Cross
4.2
$6,750
4
5
17
UnitedHealthcare
4.1
$6,700
4
67
17

Pennsylvania Medicare Advantage Market Overview

Pennsylvania's Medicare Advantage market is large and competitive, with 187 plans from 15 carriers and a median of 60 options per county. Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare through a private insurer and adds prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in most plans. Most plans in Pennsylvania charge no monthly premium beyond your standard Medicare Part B payment, so your decision turns on which benefits the plan covers and how much you would pay in a high-care year.

Medicare Supplement plans add coverage for the copays and deductibles that Original Medicare leaves to you. They work with your Original Medicare coverage rather than replacing it.

Nearly three in five Pennsylvania plans are rated four stars or higher by CMS, the federal agency that rates Medicare plans on quality. Your plan's out-of-pocket maximum is the annual cap on what you pay for covered care from in-plan providers, and it ranges from $2,900 to $9,250 across Pennsylvania.

Non-SNP Medicare Advantage plans
187
Pennsylvania's 187 non-SNP plans give eligible residents one of the widest selections available statewide.
Carriers
15

15 carriers mean more plan variety and pricing competition than smaller state markets.

CMS contracts
32

32 contracts across 15 carriers mean quality varies even within the same insurer.

Median plans per county
60
Most Pennsylvania residents can review 60 local plans without expanding their search statewide.
Medicare Advantage enrollment in non-SNP plans
1,136,996

More than 1.1 million enrollees mean plan ratings reflect real experience at scale.

Plans with a $0 premium
72%
About 3 in 4 Pennsylvania plans add nothing to your monthly Part B premium.
Median max out-of-pocket (MOOP)
$6,700
Most Pennsylvania plans cap annual in-network spending at $6,700.
MOOP range
$2,900–$9,250
The $2,900 floor means some plans cap costs well below Pennsylvania's median MOOP.
Average CMS star rating
4.12 out of 5
Pennsylvania plans average 4.12 stars on CMS's scale, clearing the four-star quality mark.
Contracts rated 4+ stars
59%
59% of Pennsylvania contracts carry four or more CMS stars, so quality-rated options are common.
UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.3/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,600

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    61

  • Plans Available

    14
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.6/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.5/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,368

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    66

  • Plans Available

    38
Geisinger Gold

Geisinger Gold

MoneyGeek Rating
4.4/ 5
4.4/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.1/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,725

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    63

  • Plans Available

    8
Aetna Medicare

Aetna Medicare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.3/ 5
4/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.4/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,900

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    67

  • Plans Available

    27
Capital BlueCross

Capital BlueCross

MoneyGeek Rating
4.3/ 5
4.4/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
3.9/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,982

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    21

  • Plans Available

    10
WellCare

WellCare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.2/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
3.8/5Quality & Member Experience
4.4/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,200

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    63

  • Plans Available

    3
Jefferson Health Plans

Jefferson Health Plans

MoneyGeek Rating
4.2/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
3.9/5Quality & Member Experience
4/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,500

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    20

  • Plans Available

    6
Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross

MoneyGeek Rating
4.2/ 5
4.4/5Affordability
4.2/5Quality & Member Experience
3.9/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,750

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4

  • Counties Served

    5

  • Plans Available

    17
UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4/5Affordability
4.2/5Quality & Member Experience
4.1/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $6,700

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4

  • Counties Served

    67

  • Plans Available

    17

How to Choose the Best Pennsylvania Medicare Advantage Plan

With 187 plans and 15 carriers available in Pennsylvania, your county determines which plans you can enroll in. The median Pennsylvania county has 60 plan options. These seven factors help narrow the field.

  1. 1
    Confirm Your Doctors and Prescriptions Are Covered

    HMO plans restrict care to in-network providers, and networks differ between plans from the same insurer. Before enrolling, call each doctor's office to verify acceptance of your exact plan instead of checking only the carrier name. If you take regular medications, check the formulary because drug coverage varies between otherwise similar plans.

  2. 2
    Compare Total Annual Costs, Not Just Premiums

    A $0-premium plan still has copays, a deductible and an annual out-of-pocket maximum, which is the most you pay for covered care in a year before the plan pays the rest. In Pennsylvania, that annual cap ranges from $2,900 to $9,250 depending on the plan. Adding your expected copays to that annual limit gives you a more realistic picture of what each plan will actually cost.

  3. 3
    Look Up Each Medication Before Enrolling

    A plan's formulary is the list of covered drugs grouped into pricing tiers. A drug on Tier 1 can cost $5 per fill while the same drug on Tier 3 can cost $45 or more. Some medications also require prior authorization, which can delay access. Check every medication against the formulary before signing up.

  4. 4
    Match the Plan Type to How You Use Care

    HMO plans require referrals and restrict care to in-network providers, which keeps costs lower than PPO plans. PPO plans allow any provider without a referral, which matters for members who see out-of-state specialists or split time between states. HMO-POS plans offer occasional out-of-network access at higher cost.

  5. 5
    Check CMS Star Ratings Before Comparing Costs

    CMS rates plans on a 1-to-5-star scale covering care quality, chronic disease management and member experience. Plans with four or more stars perform above average on those measures. More than half of Pennsylvania Medicare contracts clear the four-star mark, so use four stars as your minimum filter and move to cost and benefits only among plans that meet it.

  6. 6
    Match Supplemental Benefits to Your Actual Health Needs

    Dental, vision, hearing and OTC allowances vary widely across Pennsylvania plans. Fewer than one in three Pennsylvania plans include hearing coverage, so if you need a hearing benefit, confirm it is on the specific plan before enrolling. Choose the benefits you will actually use rather than the plan with the longest extras list.

  7. 7
    Factor In Your Health Situation When Choosing an Annual Limit

    A plan with a higher out-of-pocket maximum and lower copays may cost less overall if you expect few medical visits in a year. If you have chronic conditions or see specialists regularly, a lower annual maximum is a more reliable financial limit. Pennsylvania's out-of-pocket maximum ranges from $2,900 to $9,250, a difference of $6,350 that makes plan selection the most consequential cost decision for members who use regular care.

How Much Does Medicare Advantage Cost in Pennsylvania?

All four Pennsylvania Medicare Advantage plan types carry a $0 median monthly premium, so the type you choose won't change your monthly bill.

The real differences are in specialist copays and annual spending limits. HMO plans have the lowest median specialist copay of the three common types at $25, which is $5 less per visit than HMO-POS and PPO plans. HMO-POS plans have the lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum of the three common types at $6,450 and makes them the option to prioritize if you expect to use regular care and want to minimize worst-case annual spending.

Regional PPO plans have the lowest annual maximum of any plan type at $5,600, but only two Regional PPO plans are available in Pennsylvania. If neither is available in your county, an HMO-POS plan is the next-lowest alternative. Primary care copays are $15 across all four plan types.

Median Monthly Premium
$0
$0
$0
$0
Median Max Out-of-Pocket
$6,600
$6,450
$6,700
$5,600
Median Inpatient Copay
$275
$336
$285
$350
Median PCP Copay
$15
$15
$15
$15
Median Specialist Copay
$25
$30
$30
$20

*Median cost figures across all 187 non-SNP Pennsylvania MA plans, grouped by plan type. All dollar figures rounded to nearest dollar. Source: CMS 2026 data, MoneyGeek analysis.

Pennsylvania Medicare Advantage Resources

Use these Pennsylvania and federal resources to compare Medicare Advantage plans, understand your benefits and get help with enrollment. 

  • PA APPRISE Program: Pennsylvania's free Medicare counseling program, run through the state Department of Aging. Trained APPRISE counselors compare plans, review costs and explain coverage at no charge.
  • Pennsylvania Insurance Department: The state regulator for Pennsylvania insurers. Use it to verify that a carrier is licensed, file a complaint or learn about your consumer protections.
  • Medicare Plan Finder: The federal plan comparison tool. Filter by your county, estimated annual costs, drug formulary and star ratings to compare plans side by side.
  • Social Security Administration: Handles Medicare enrollment and Part B premium payments. Apply online or find a local office for in-person help with enrollment timing.
  • Pennsylvania Area Agencies on Aging: Connects Pennsylvania residents with local Medicare counseling, benefits assistance and enrollment support through county agencies.
Compare Medicare Advantage Rates

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Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers about enrollment processes, what's covered and enrollment timing for Medicare Advantage plans across Pennsylvania.

Our Methodology

MoneyGeek reviewed Pennsylvania Medicare Advantage carriers across five CMS data sources for the 2026 plan year. The Medicare Plan Landscape File, Plan Benefit Package files, CMS Star Ratings, the CAHPS Report Card Master Table and the Contract/Plan Enrollment file all fed into the analysis.   

How We Score Carriers

MoneyGeek gives each Pennsylvania carrier a score out of five, weighted across three categories.   

  • Affordability (40%): The score combines the annual premium, out-of-pocket maximum, and median copays for inpatient hospital, specialist and primary care visits.
  • Quality and Member Experience (40%): CMS Star Ratings hold 60% of this category. CAHPS C26 member ratings make up the remaining 40%. MoneyGeek calculates both at the contract level.
  • Benefits and Access (20%): Supplemental benefits, including dental, OTC, vision and hearing, take 50% of this category. County coverage and plan choice per county split the remaining weight 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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