Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Virginia (2026)

Based on CMS star ratings, premiums, MOOP costs and coverage features, we identified Virginia's best Medicare Advantage plans. Cigna HealthCare is top for both HMO and PPO plans with $0 monthly premiums and $6,250 maximum out-of-pocket costs. Kaiser Permanente ranks first for HMO-POS.

Cigna HealthCare's HMO plans earn 4.0 CMS stars. Its PPO plans earn 3.0 stars. Kaiser Permanente holds the highest star rating among HMO and HMO-POS providers in Virginia at 4.5 stars. Both charge $0 to $41 per month on average and cover the full range of Medicare-required services statewide.

Medicare Advantage plans bundle hospital stays, doctor visits and prescription drug coverage into a single plan that serves as an alternative to Original Medicare. These Part C plans must match everything Original Medicare covers. 

• CMS star ratings: CMS scores every plan from one to five stars on quality, performance and member satisfaction, and plans at four or five stars post better care effectiveness and satisfaction scores than lower-rated options.
• Monthly premiums: You pay your Part B premium plus whatever the plan charges on top of it, and many plans add nothing. Your coverage level and location set the total.
• Maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) limits: This cap limits what you pay out of pocket for covered services in a year. Once you hit it, the plan covers 100% of what's left for the rest of the year.
• Drug coverage: Most plans include a drug formulary listing what's covered, so check your medications against it and note any restrictions or approval steps before you enroll.

Virginia's three HMO Medicare Advantage providers offer 15 total plans. Star ratings range from 3.0 to 4.0 stars, but just one plan earns 4 stars or higher. Twelve plans charge $0 monthly premiums, and the median premium is $0. Out-of-pocket costs range from $1,800 to $9,250, averaging $6,870 annually.

• Cigna HealthCare's single plan has a 4.0-star rating, a $0 premium and a $6,250 maximum out-of-pocket limit.
• Humana averages $5 a month in premiums, with a 3.49-star rating and a $7,972 out-of-pocket maximum, the highest of the three.
• Aetna has one zero-premium plan with a 3.0-star rating and a $6,750 out-of-pocket maximum.

Cigna is the only carrier in this comparison with a 4.0-star rating. Humana has 13 plans, giving buyers more options, though each has a lower rating. For someone who values a consistent quality score over plan variety, Cigna's single HMO plan fits better than Humana's broader lineup.

Virginia's HMO-POS Medicare Advantage plans earn high quality ratings, with 11 receiving 4 stars and five earning 3 stars. Six providers offer 30 coverage options, and 16 don't charge monthly premiums. Maximum out-of-pocket costs average $6,109 and range from $2,900 to $9,250.

• Kaiser Permanente's six plans rate 4.5 stars and score 5.0 with MoneyGeek. Monthly premiums run $41 with $6,044 maximum out-of-pocket costs.
• At $3,850, Cigna HealthCare has Virginia's lowest MOOP through one plan charging $22 monthly and rated 4.0 stars, scoring 4.32.
• Thirteen coverage options from UnitedHealthcare average $17 per month with $6,239 out-of-pocket maximums, scoring 4.25.
• Humana's zero-premium plan scores 4.18 but has the state's highest $9,250 maximum out-of-pocket cost.

Kaiser Permanente holds the highest star rating in this analysis at 4.5. Cigna holds the lowest out-of-pocket maximum at $6,250, paired with a 4.0-star rating. Which one fits better comes down to how much care someone expects to use in a year. Someone anticipating high health care costs saves more from Cigna's lower out-of-pocket cap than from Kaiser Permanente's higher quality score.

PPO Medicare Advantage coverage in Virginia comes through 27 plans with premiums spanning $0 to $255. Most people pay nothing, as the median sits at $0. You get the freedom to see any doctor without referrals, though PPO plans average $24 per month versus $7 for HMO plans. Out-of-pocket spending limits fall between $3,000 and $9,250, averaging $7,521. Fourteen PPO plans in Virginia earned 4 stars or higher. Thirteen scored 4.5 stars, one earned 4 stars, eleven received 3.5 stars, and two got 3 stars.   

• A 4.4 MoneyGeek score puts Cigna HealthCare at the top with a zero-premium plan capping expenses at $6,250. Quality sits lower at 3.0 CMS stars.
• UnitedHealthcare's 4.3 MoneyGeek rating covers nine plans requiring $58 monthly on average. Out-of-pocket maximums average $6,700, and quality jumps to 4.33 CMS stars.
• Aetna brings four plans to Virginia at $38 average monthly cost. Out-of-pocket limits reach $7,329, paired with a 4.31 MoneyGeek score and top-tier 4.5 CMS stars.

Aetna ranks highest in the PPO segment on quality: its four plans earn 4.5 CMS stars, the highest rating among Virginia PPO providers. But at $38 per month average, it costs more than Cigna's $0 option. For members who file few claims, Cigna's $0 premium saves $456 per year over Aetna. For members managing ongoing conditions, Aetna's 1.5-star quality advantage over Cigna is worth that cost.

Virginia has 57 Medicare Advantage plans across five plan types for 2026. Start by confirming your doctors are in-network and your medications are on the plan's formulary. Then assess how much out-of-pocket risk you can absorb if you need heavy care in a given year.

Plan type drives Medicare Advantage costs in Virginia. HMO plans have the lowest average monthly cost at $7, but carry a $6,870 average out-of-pocket maximum. HMO-POS plans average $23 per month with a lower $6,109 out-of-pocket ceiling. PPO plans run $24 per month on average with a $7,521 maximum out-of-pocket, $651 more than HMO plans, because they let you see out-of-network providers and specialists without referrals.

 PFFS (Private Fee-for-Service) plans average $132 per year with a $7,025 MOOP; they don't use a fixed network, so any Medicare-approved provider who agrees to the plan's terms can treat you. The Regional PPO averages $1,404 per year with a $9,250 MOOP, the highest spending ceiling in the state, and covers a defined geographic region.

For most Virginia beneficiaries who want the highest-rated coverage without paying a monthly premium, Cigna HealthCare's HealthSpring Preferred Savings HMO is the clearest starting point. For most Virginia beneficiaries who want the highest-rated coverage without paying a monthly premium, Cigna HealthCare's HealthSpring Preferred Savings HMO is the clearest starting point: a 4.0-star CMS rating, $0 monthly premium and a $6,250 MOOP.

If your doctors aren't in Cigna's HMO network, Cigna's HMO-POS plan is the next move. Its $3,850 average MOOP is Virginia's lowest provider average across all Medicare Advantage plan types.

Members who need referral-free access should compare Aetna's PPO plans before defaulting to Cigna's PPO option. Aetna's four Virginia PPO plans earn 4.5 CMS stars at $456 per year, worth the cost for anyone expecting more than one claim a year.

Virginia's best Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 are based on MoneyGeek's analysis of CMS plan data covering all Medicare Advantage options available to Virginia beneficiaries for plan year 2026. 

• Affordability (50%): Cost accounts for half of our overall score because it affects your budget. We evaluated monthly premiums for Part C and Part D coverage combined (30% weight) and in-network maximum out-of-pocket limits (20% weight). Plans with lower premiums and MOOP amounts score higher since they reduce your total annual health care spending.
• Star Ratings (40%): CMS star ratings measure plan quality across categories like care effectiveness, customer service and member satisfaction. The Overall Star Rating combines both Part C (medical coverage) and Part D (prescription drug) ratings on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.
• Availability (10%): We score providers based on how many states they operate in, including Washington, D.C. Providers with broader geographic availability score higher because they're more likely to maintain coverage if you move and often have more resources for customer support and plan improvements.