Best Cheap Medicare Plans in Colorado

Kaiser offers nine Medicare Advantage HMOs in 15 Colorado counties, with rates ranging from $0 per month for the Senior Advantage Core plan and the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Bronze up to $186 per month for the Senior Advantage Gold.

We recommend the Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage Silver HMO-POS for $39 per month. Compared to the Senior Advantage Bronze HMO-POS, the Silver option provides an added benefit for in-home support services and has lower out-of-pocket costs. For example, you pay $20 less for every specialist visit, and your out-of-pocket maximum is $1,500 lower than with the Kaiser Senior Advantage Bronze plan. So while your monthly payments would total $468 over a year for the Silver plan, you would still save $1,032 per year in total expenses.

The prescription benefit is identical among these policy options, so you won't gain or lose any drug coverage when choosing the Silver plan.

If it's sold where you live, the Humana Gold Plus H0028-025 HMO is a good cost-saving option. The Gold Plus plan works well for those who don't mind working within a network and having a primary care provider (PCP) coordinate their health care. This option is good for most people because it has no monthly payment, no medical or drug deductible and a low out-of-pocket maximum of $3,900 or $4,900, depending on the county.

With the Humana Gold Plus plan, you pay nothing for a primary doctor visit and low or no copays for other outpatient care, like lab services and X-rays. Prescription copays are also affordable — you pay between $0 and $5 for each generic prescription. You also get a fitness benefit, nonemergency transport, free vision and dental exams and a routine hearing checkup for $25.

HumanaChoice H5216-137 PPO is the most widely available Humana plan. While the medical costs are higher than Humana Gold, HumanaChoice works well for people who need the freedom to choose any health care provider.

This PPO is free, but it does have annual deductibles. For example, you must spend $445 for prescriptions before those benefits kick in, and you'll have a separate medical deductible of $1,000. And while you can use any provider with a PPO, you pay extra for that freedom. For example, a network primary care visit costs $20, but you pay 40% of the cost to visit a non-network primary doctor. This means if your physician charges $180 for the visit, you pay $72.

With a PPO, your out-of-pocket limits are also higher when going outside the network. If you get your health care within the HumanaChoice network, your out-of-pocket maximum is $7,350 — the highest of all Humana plans. But when you go outside the network, your combined yearly maximum is $11,300.

The Aetna Medicare Premier 1 HMO-POS plan has a $0 premium, no medical or drug deductible and no copay for in-network primary care visits. This plan is best for those who want to save on health insurance costs and are able to work within Aetna's provider network.

Your annual out-of-pocket costs for the Premier 1 HMO, including copays and coinsurance, would be no more than $4,900. The prescription benefit is a good deal — you pay nothing for generic or preferred generic drugs.

The Aetna plan with the highest medical cost is the Premier Plus 2 PPO. This plan is best for those who need the flexibility to use out-of-network providers and are willing to pay the extra cost for that benefit.

While there is no medical or drug deductible, you could pay up to $5,500 per year in out-of-pocket costs — including copays and coinsurance — if you stay in the network. If you get care outside the network, your total yearly cost could be up to $8,950. And at $65, payments for non-network specialist visits are high compared to most other Aetna Medicare Advantage plans.

Both Aetna plans include dental benefits at no extra cost. Other member extras include a fitness benefit, mail-order prescriptions and an over-the-counter benefit that provides you with select pharmacy items such as cold medications at no cost.

AARP rates in Colorado range from $0 to $39 per month, and several plans have no medical or drug deductible. Copays for primary doctor visits and some routine care are low or even free, but you will pay a copay for other services such as an inpatient hospital stay. Some UnitedHealthcare plans also offer fitness benefits and free dental exams, subject to plan coverage limits.

One of UnitedHealthcare's free plans is the AARP Medicare Advantage SecureHorizons Plan 2 HMO. This plan works well for those with less frequent health care needs since you can pay for your care as you need it, rather than pay a monthly bill for benefits you may not use. With SecureHorizons primary doctor visits and some lab services are free, and you pay $30 to see a specialist. SecureHorizons also has a transportation benefit to help you get to a doctor or other medical appointment.

A low-cost UnitedHealthcare plan is the AARP Medicare Advantage Choice Plan 2 PPO at $24 per month. This is a great option if you receive medical care fairly regularly or need extra dental services. The Choice Plan 2 PPO plan has higher costs than SecureHorizons but allows the flexibility to use out-of-network providers. The $24-per-month price does provide some upgrades, such as a lower copay if you have to stay in the hospital and extra dental benefits.

Both Rocky Mountain Health Plan options are HMOs. The CareAdvantage Value plan is free with an annual out-of-pocket medical limit of $4,900. A CareAdvantage Enhanced policy costs $32 per month but has a lower out-of-pocket limit of $4,500, saving you $400 per year. Since you only pay $384 in premiums over the year, you're left with an overall savings of $16 with the CareAdvantage Enhanced plan.