Of the 156,397 Medicare beneficiaries in Springfield, Massachusetts, 32% have decided to supplement their Medicare with a Medicare Advantage plan. What are the rest doing? Keep reading, and you’ll find out.

Medicare plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

The average Massachusetts Medicare beneficiary in Springfield is around 72 years old. Most are still young and healthy enough to make changes to their Medicare plan, which will help keep their costs low as they age. Below, we will explain some of the changes you might want to make to do the same for yourself.

Medicare Advantage plans

As of 2022, there are now 47 Massachusetts Medicare Advantage plans in Hampden County. So if you’re one of the 106,261 beneficiaries who might want to switch to Medicare Advantage in the future, we have some of the cheapest options to present to you listed below.

All plans have a $0 monthly premium, which is excellent for your budget. But Humana is the plan with the cheapest maximum out-of-pocket cost. You will only have to pay $4,500 out of pocket for your medical care before your insurance company picks up the bill.

Aetna and UnitedHealthcare tie for the next cheapest plans with their $6,700 maximum out-of-pocket costs. But Aetna has a slight advantage with its 4-star customer service rating. Furthermore, all three of these most affordable plans are PPO medical networks, giving you more choices regarding your care.

Fallon Health and Tufts Health have the highest out-of-pocket costs at $7,550 each. They also have HMO medical networks, which may reduce your choices regarding the care you receive. But they have 4- and 5-star customer ratings, respectively, so that’s saying something.

The average cost of Medicare Advantage plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

PLAN PREMIUM MOOP Plan Type Star Rating
Humana $0 $4,500 HMO 4
Aetna $0 $6,700 LOCAL PPO 4
UnitedHealthcare $0 $6,700 LOCAL PPO 3
Tufts Health $0 $7,550 HMO 5
Fallon Health $0 $7,550 HMO 4

Medicare Supplement plans

A Medigap supplement in Massachusetts is a great way to make your Medicare more affordable. The expensive gaps in Medicare coverage won’t be paid for out-of-pocket by you if you purchase a Medigap plan. Instead, your insurer will help you cover most of those costs.

While most states let their beneficiaries choose between 10 standardized plans, Massachusetts whittles it down to three — or two for seniors whose enrollment eligibility date came after January 1, 2020. The two most common options are the Core Plan and the Supplement 1A Plan. For seniors who became eligible to enroll before January 1, 2020, Supplement 1 is also an option.

The Core Plan offers the fewest benefits but also a more affordable price. As you can see from the chart, that depends on which company you purchase your policy from. Shopping around and comparing rates is the best way to get an affordable deal.

While the Core Plan handles basic benefits and a few extras, the Supplement 1A Plan offers all of that plus help with many coinsurance expenses. Considering how these costs are 20% of your medical care, it’s essential to get that supplemented as soon as possible. But don’t rush the search, or you may end up with a raw deal.

The average cost of Medicare Supplement plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

PLAN LOWEST PREMIUM HIGHEST PREMIUM
CORE $113.58 $203.79
SUPPLEMENT 1 $205.79 $329.84
SUPPLEMENT 1A $165.75 $319.54

Medicare Part D prescription drug plans

The Medicare Part D prescription drug program is a great way to make your life-saving drugs easily affordable for Medicare Parts A and B beneficiaries.

All you require is a monthly premium and an annual deductible. But if you need financial help, you can always apply for the Medicare Extra Help program.

According to the chart below, the average deductible for Medicare Part D plans in Massachusetts is $480. The exception is unitedhealthcare, whose deductible is slightly lower. They only charge $310 per year before they help cover the cost of your prescriptions.

The average customer service rating for a prescription drug plan in Springfield is 3 out of 5 stars. Wellcare, Cigna, and Aetna all have similar ratings. And it only goes up from there.

Humana and UnitedHealthcare have above-average, 4-star ratings. However, Aetna is the cheapest available plan with a $7.40 monthly premium. Even though the deductible isn’t the lowest available, it’s still more affordable than other plans.

The average cost of Medicare Part D plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

PLAN PREMIUM DEDUCTIBLE STAR RATING
Aetna $7.40 $480 3
Wellcare $13.00 $480 3
Humana $22.70 $480 4
UnitedHealthcare $29.30 $310 4
Cigna $32.10 $480 3

Special Needs plans

If you have a health affliction that’s both chronic and disabling, you can help get your cost of care covered with a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan (SNP). They are only offered through Medicare Advantage and help you pay for expensive health problems like End-Stage Renal Disease.

In Massachusetts, for better or worse, your condition must be both chronic and disabling. You’ll want to look at Tufts Health for the most affordable plan. The only thing differentiating these plans from one another is the maximum out-of-pocket cost, and Tufts Health has the lowest one at $3,450.

The rest of the plans — whether you’re talking about UnitedHealthcare, BMC Healthnet, Fallon Health, or Commonwealth — have a maximum out-of-pocket cost of $7,550. This means that the first $7,550 of medical care you receive in a calendar year must be paid for before your Medicare Advantage provider will start paying out claims.

To differentiate these plans further, look at which doctors and facilities are listed in your HMO network to choose the plan that meets your needs.

The average cost of Medicare Special Needs plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

PLAN PREMIUM MOOP Plan Type Eligibility
Tufts Health $0 $3,450 HMO Dual
UnitedHealthcare $0 $7,550 HMO Dual
BMC Healthnet $0 $7,550 HMO Dual
Fallon Health $0 $7,550 HMO Dual
Commonwealth $0 $7,550 HMO Dual

How to sign up for Medicare plans in Springfield, Massachusetts

If you’re a Springfield, Massachusetts, resident on Medicare who would like to be more fully covered, look no further than a Supplemental plan. Our licensed insurance agents can assist you completely in finding the one that fits your needs.

Our agents are extremely well-versed in everything related to Medicare and will gladly answer any lingering questions you might have. Best of all, their service is free to you — with no obligations.

So give us a call today. Or complete our simple online rate form to see the best rates in your area.

Written By:
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Lindsay Malzone, Lindsay Malzone is the Medicare editor for Medigap.com. She's been contributing to many well-known publications since 2017. Her passion is educating Medicare beneficiaries on all their supplemental Medicare options so they can make an informed decision on their healthcare coverage.
Reviewed By:
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Rodolfo Marrero, Rodolfo Marrero is one of the co-founders at Medigap.com. He has been helping consumers find the right coverage since the site was founded in 2013. Rodolfo is a licensed insurance agent that works hand-in-hand with the team to ensure the accuracy of the content.