Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Wisconsin (2026)

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Updated: September 12, 2026

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Best Medicare Advantage Companies in Wisconsin

Security Health Plan and Network Health are the best Medicare Advantage companies in Wisconsin, both with total annual costs at or below $4,500 and a 4.5-star CMS quality rating. A 4.5-star rating is Medicare's second-highest quality tier and means above-average performance on member experience and care quality.

Aspirus has the lowest total annual costs of the eight companies at $4,350. Its 3.5-star rating falls below the 4-star level Medicare identifies as above average and it offers only two plans. Humana covers all 72 Wisconsin counties with 17 plan options at $5,400, the highest total annual costs of the eight companies.

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.
4.5
$4,495
4.5
54
5
Network Health Medicare Advantage Plans
4.5
$4,500
4.5
27
9
Aetna Medicare
4.4
$5,398
4.5
32
8
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
4.3
$4,792
3.75
36
4
Quartz Medicare Advantage (HMO)
4.3
$5,050
4
8
12
Aspirus Health Plan
4.1
$4,350
3.5
21
2
Wellcare
4.1
$5,300
3.5
20
1
Humana
4.1
$5,400
3.5
72
17

Wisconsin Medicare Advantage Market Overview

Medicare Advantage plans are private alternatives to Original Medicare that cover the same hospital and doctor services and often include prescription drugs and extra benefits. Wisconsin has 80 Medicare Advantage plans from 12 insurers for 2026. Medicare Supplement plans work alongside Original Medicare to cover its deductibles and copays.

More than seven in 10 Wisconsin plans charge no monthly premium, so the annual out-of-pocket maximum, the most you pay for in-network care in a year, gives a clearer picture of total annual costs than the monthly premium alone. Wisconsin's median out-of-pocket maximum is $5,000. Plans range from $1,500 to $9,250, a $7,750 difference in worst-case annual costs.

Non-SNP Medicare Advantage plans
80
Wisconsin's 80 non-SNP plans put it among the larger MA markets in our analysis.
Carriers
12
12 carriers compete across Wisconsin's MA market, more than most states we analyzed.
CMS contracts
18
18 contracts govern Wisconsin's 80 plans. Each contract carries its own star rating independent of the others.
Median plans per county
24
The typical Wisconsin county offers 24 local MA plans to compare.
Medicare Advantage enrollment in non-SNP plans
551,735
Our Wisconsin analysis covers more than 551,000 active enrollees across all 80 plans.
Plans with a $0 premium
71%
About 7 in 10 Wisconsin plans charge nothing beyond Part B. The other 3 in 10 carry a monthly premium.
Median max out-of-pocket (MOOP)
$5,000
Half of Wisconsin's plans cap annual in-network costs at $5,000 or less.
MOOP range
$1,500–$9,250
Wisconsin's MOOP range runs from $1,500 to $9,250, a $7,750 gap between the lowest and highest protection.
Average CMS star rating
3.97 out of 5
At 3.97 stars, Wisconsin's average CMS rating is 0.03 points below the four-star quality threshold.
Contracts rated 4+ stars
39%
39% of Wisconsin contracts reach four or more CMS stars. More than 6 in 10 fall below that mark.
Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc.

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.1/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,495

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    54

  • Plans Available

    5
Network Health

Network Health

MoneyGeek Rating
4.5/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4.5/5Quality & Member Experience
4.2/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,500

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    27

  • Plans Available

    9
Aetna Medicare

Aetna Medicare

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

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $5,398

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4.5

  • Counties Served

    32

  • Plans Available

    8
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

MoneyGeek Rating
4.3/ 5
4.7/5Affordability
4/5Quality & Member Experience
4/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,792

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.75

  • Counties Served

    36

  • Plans Available

    4
Quartz Medicare

Quartz Medicare

MoneyGeek Rating
4.3/ 5
4.6/5Affordability
4.2/5Quality & Member Experience
3.9/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $5,050

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    4

  • Counties Served

    8

  • Plans Available

    12
Aspirus Health Plan

Aspirus Health Plan

MoneyGeek Rating
4.1/ 5
4.5/5Affordability
3.8/5Quality & Member Experience
3.9/5Benefits & Access

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $4,350

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    21

  • Plans Available

    2
WellCare

WellCare

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

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $5,300

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    20

  • Plans Available

    1
Humana

Humana

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

  • Median Max Annual Cost Exposure

    $5,400

  • Median CMS Star Rating

    3.5

  • Counties Served

    72

  • Plans Available

    17

How to Choose the Best Wisconsin Medicare Advantage Plan

Wisconsin Medicare Advantage plans vary in price, coverage and provider access. Match plans to how you actually use health care.

  1. 1
    Confirm Your Doctors and Hospitals Are In-Network

    Call your doctors to ask if they accept the exact Medicare Advantage plan you want. This matters because insurers use different networks for different plans.

  2. 2
    Compare Total Costs, Not Just Premiums

    Monthly premium amounts don't reflect true costs. Add up copays across all your expected medical interactions for the year. Include specialist appointments, prescription refills and routine visits. Premium-free plans charging $50 copays cost more annually than plans with $30 premiums and $15 copays when you use health care regularly.

  3. 3
    Check Prescription Drug Coverage

    Each Wisconsin Medicare Advantage plan has a formulary, a ranked drug list that places medications into cost tiers. Drugs on lower tiers cost less at the pharmacy. Prior authorization requirements, where the plan must approve a drug before the pharmacy fills it, can delay certain prescriptions by days or weeks.

  4. 4
    Compare Different Plan Types

    Wisconsin Medicare Advantage comes in four plan types with different referral rules. HMOs require a referral from your primary doctor for specialist visits and restrict care to in-network providers, with the lowest annual out-of-pocket cap. HMO-POS plans add limited out-of-network access at a higher copay. PPO and Regional PPO plans require no referrals and have higher cost sharing than HMOs. Match the type to how you use care.

  5. 5
    Review Star Ratings and Quality Metrics

    CMS rates plans from 1 to 5 stars based on member experience, chronic disease management and customer service. A 4-star or higher rating is above average. Most of Wisconsin's 18 Medicare contracts reach 4 stars or higher. When two plans have similar premiums and out-of-pocket limits, the star rating is the clearest quality comparison. Check Medicare.gov to find ratings alongside premium and benefit details.

  6. 6
    Compare Extra Benefits

    Dental, vision and hearing allowances vary in dollar amount and what they cover. A $5,000 dental maximum pays for crowns and major work. A dental maximum of $300 covers cleanings. Check the actual dollar cap and the list of covered services before picking a plan. Over-the-counter and fitness allowances matter only when those services are near you.

  7. 7
    Check Out-of-Pocket Maximums

    Once you reach your out-of-pocket maximum, the plan pays 100% of in-network costs through year end. Wisconsin out-of-pocket maximums range from $1,500 to $9,250. A $1,500 annual cap costs you $7,750 less than a $9,250 plan in a high-use year. Choose a lower cap if you expect hospitalizations or regular specialist care.

How Much Does Medicare Advantage Cost in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Medicare Advantage plans come in four types. HMOs require referrals and restrict care to in-network providers, with a median annual out-of-pocket cap of $4,550, $450 below Wisconsin's $5,000 median. HMO-POS plans allow limited out-of-network access and have a median cap of $4,950. PPO plans drop referrals entirely and have a median cap of $5,000. All three plan types charge no monthly premium.

Regional PPOs allow out-of-network care across Wisconsin without a referral requirement. Regional PPOs carry a $37 monthly premium and a $6,975 annual cap, $1,975 above Wisconsin's $5,000 median. Specialist copays are $20 per visit on Regional PPOs versus $45 on HMOs. Two specialist visits per month save $50, more than the $37 premium.

Median Monthly Premium
$0
$0
$0
$37
Median Max Out-of-Pocket
$4,550
$4,950
$5,000
$6,975
Median Inpatient Copay
$272
$398
$332
$520
Median PCP Copay
$15
$15
$15
$15
Median Specialist Copay
$45
$40
$40
$20

Wisconsin Medicare Advantage Resources

Use these resources to compare Wisconsin Medicare Advantage plans, check eligibility and get personalized enrollment assistance.

Compare Medicare Advantage Rates

Get the best insurance rate. Compare quotes from top insurance companies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Methodology

MoneyGeek rated Wisconsin Medicare Advantage carriers for the 2026 plan year. The scores rest on five CMS data sources. These are 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

Wisconsin carriers score out of five across three weighted categories.   

  • Affordability (40%): Maximum annual cost exposure counts annual premiums, the out-of-pocket maximum and inpatient hospital, specialist and primary care costs.
  • Quality and Member Experience (40%): CMS Star Ratings form 60% of this category. CAHPS C26 member ratings own the remaining 40%. MoneyGeek registers both at the contract level.
  • Benefits and Access (20%): Supplemental benefits, including dental, over-the-counter allowances, vision and hearing, make up 50% of this category. County coverage and plan choice per county share the remaining 50% 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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