Best Dental Insurance for Seniors on Medicare

UnitedHealthcare, founded in 1977, is popular among Medicare users and has a strong affiliation with the American Association of Retired People (AARP). In 2022, 28.4 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans nationwide. Of those, UnitedHealthcare insured the largest share of them at 28%.

Although UnitedHealthcare was ranked just below average for overall customer satisfaction in the 2022 U.S. Medicare Advantage Study by J.D. Power (808 points out of 1,000), more than 74% of Medicare beneficiaries have access to at least one UnitedHealthcare plan in 2022.

The company's full range of plans (HMO, PPO, etc.) has premiums ranging from $0 to over $100 each month, depending on your needs and location. You'll also receive access to additional AARP programs and services such as discounts on shopping and travel, savings on home and auto insurance, and free financial advice.

Kaiser came in first place in J.D. Power's Medicare Advantage customer satisfaction study six times in the last seven years. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is based in Oakland, California, and serves 12.6 million members. People enrolled in Kaiser’s Medicare Advantage plan can get coverage at any Kaiser Permanente facility, and premiums range from $0 to over $100 each month, depending on your needs and where you live.

With many of its Medicare Advantage plans, Kaiser offers the Silver&Fit senior fitness program. The program is offered with a facility-based option and a home-based option and includes educational materials on healthy aging, social activities, and an activity and exercise tracking tool.

In J.D. Power’s annual survey, customers rated Kaiser the overall best Medicare Advantage plan for five consecutive years (2015–2019). Kaiser missed first place by one point in 2020 and then earned the top spot again in the 2021 J.D. Power Survey (846 points out of 1,000) and once more in 2022 (844 points). Additionally, Kaiser Permanente 2022 Medicare health plans received the highest ratings from the Medicare Star Quality Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Southwest Washington, Washington, and Washington, D.C.

Founded in 1961, Humana offers a full range of Medicare Advantage plans (HMO, PPO, PFFS, etc.) with premiums ranging from $0 to over $100 each month, depending on your needs and location.

Humana offers a wide variety of online tools that are helpful to Medicare Advantage plan enrollees. Humana’s RXMentor helps enrollees keep a complete, up-to-date list of their medications. Its MyHumana app offers access to ID cards, drug pricing, claims, and in-network providers. Its Go365 program and app allow you to earn, track, and redeem points for completing healthy actions. Both the app and Go365 are accessed using two-factor authentication to keep your accounts secure.

Humana also offers SilverSneakers, a health and fitness program for seniors that includes gym access, classes, and the SilverSneakers Go fitness app for tracking and scheduling activities.

With some of its Medicare Advantage plans, Humana offers an option for additional dental coverage. For example, if you are located in Dallas, Texas, and enroll in the Humana Gold Choice PFFS plan, you have a $45 copay for in-network dentist visits and a $50 copay for an out-of-network dentist for Medicare-covered dental services. For an additional premium, you can enroll in Humana’s MyOption Dental - High DEN838, which includes benefits for preventive, basic, and major services at both in-network and out-of-network dentists.

Founded in 1853, Aetna has a full range of plans (HMO, PPO, etc.) with premiums ranging from $0 to nearly $100 each month, depending on your needs and location.

Aetna operates in all 50 states, has approximately 12.7 million dental members, and its network includes about 1.2 million health care professionals, with over 700,000 primary care doctors and specialists.

With many of its Medicare Advantage plans, Aetna offers home delivery of most prescription drugs through its mail-order pharmacy: CVS Caremark. Aetna also offers a concierge program with many of its Medicare Advantage plans. An Aetna concierge can help you manage your health care expenses, understand your benefits, locate providers near you, and help plan for treatments.

Founded in 1985, WellCare is a relative newcomer compared to other insurers. In 2018, WellCare acquired Aetna’s Part D prescription drug plan (PDP), and in 2020, it was acquired by Centene, one of the largest providers of Medicaid. This deal-making activity could result in new Medicare Advantage plan offerings that address specific pricing or feature needs.

Benefits offered with some WellCare Medicare Advantage plans include over-the-counter (OTC) coverage and access to a personal emergency response system. The OTC benefit is a fixed dollar amount for non-prescription medications and wellness-oriented items that can be shipped directly to you. The personal emergency response system, for people who live alone or are left alone for long periods, is connected to your phone and allows you to get emergency help with the push of a button.

WellCare has greatly expanded its Medicare Advantage offerings since merging with Centene; plans are available in 36 states for 2022. The companies offer a full range of plans (HMO, PPO, etc.).

Originally founded in 1792 as the Insurance Company of North America, Cigna is now an American worldwide health services organization. It has a full range of plans (HMO, PPO, etc.) with premiums ranging from $0 to over $100 each month, depending on your needs and location.

While other Medicare Advantage plans limit coverage to individuals with special health conditions or care needs, Cigna offers special needs plans that include access to a wider range of specialists, along with regular health assessment (beyond annual physicals and care transition assistance).

Depending on your health care needs, Cigna offers an increased range of services, whether that is more intensive treatments, personalized care treatments, or more individual specialist attention.

Based on a review of Cigna’s Model of Care, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has approved Cigna to offer Special Needs Plans (SNPs) until 2022 (for plan year 2023). Cigna will still need to be approved each year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in order to operate.

Cigna offers a health risk assessment (HRA) that can be used to develop personalized care plans with Cigna Medicare Advantage plan enrollees and their primary care doctors. The HRA also helps match each enrollee with the health and wellness services that best fit their needs.