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2027 plans · CMS data · Ranked by math

Best Medicare Advantage Plans in Nueces County, TX for 2027

Every general-audience Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage sold in Nueces County, ranked by what it could cost you in a bad year: 12 months of premiums, less any Part B giveback, plus the in-network out-of-pocket maximum.

23plans with drug coverage (43 in 2026)
13with a $0 premium (31 in 2026)
$3,240lowest worst-case year
5with a Part B giveback

Nueces County plans, ranked

#PlanPremium / monthIn-network max out-of-pocketWorst-case yearStars
1 HealthSpring Preferred (HMO)HealthSpring · HMO2 of 254 counties · drug deductible $500Part B giveback $5/mo · Dental up to $3,100/yr · eyewear $300/yr · OTC items $180/yr $0−$5 Part B giveback $3,300 $3,240 3.5★
2 Humana Gold Plus H0028-029 (HMO)Humana · HMO6 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $3,500/yr · eyewear $300/yr $0 $3,400 $3,400 4.5★
3 Humana Gold Plus H4461-060 (HMO)Humana · HMO6 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $2,500/yr · eyewear $300/yr $0 $3,400 $3,400 4.5★
4 Humana Gold Plus H0028-070 (HMO)Humana · HMO14 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $5,000/yr · eyewear $325/yr $12 $3,400 $3,544 4.5★
5 Humana Gold Plus H4461-053 (HMO)Humana · HMO19 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $5,000/yr · eyewear $400/yr $24 $3,400 $3,688 4.5★
6 AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC TX-11 (HMO-POS)UnitedHealthcare · HMO-POS12 of 254 counties · drug deductible $685Preventive dental · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $1,000/yr $0 $4,450 $4,450 4★
7 HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO)HealthSpring · HMO2 of 254 counties · drug deductible $300Part B giveback $143/mo · Dental up to $5,000/yr · eyewear $150/yr $0−$143 Part B giveback $7,500 $5,784 3.5★
8 AARP Medicare Advantage Extras from UHC TX-52 (HMO-POS)UnitedHealthcare · HMO-POS12 of 254 counties · drug deductible $650Dental up to $4,000/yr · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $700/yr $0 $5,900 $5,900 4★
9 AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-23 (HMO-POS)UnitedHealthcare · HMO-POS6 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $1,000/yr $0 $6,000 $6,000 4★
10 AARP Medicare Advantage Giveback from UHC TX-35 (HMO-POS)UnitedHealthcare · HMO-POS12 of 254 counties · drug deductible $165Part B giveback $76/mo · Preventive dental · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $1,000/yr $0−$76 Part B giveback $7,150 $6,238 4★
11 Humana Value Choice (PPO)Humana · PPO21 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $3,000/yr · eyewear $100/yr $0 $6,500 $6,500 4.5★
12 HealthSpring True Choice (PPO)HealthSpring · PPO40 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $500/yr · eyewear $100/yr $0 $6,800 $6,800 3★
13 Aetna Medicare Signature Extra (PPO)Aetna Medicare · PPO5 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $500/yr · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $500/yr per ear $0 $7,150 $7,150 3.5★
14 Humana Essentials Plus Giveback (PPO)Humana · PPO76 of 254 counties · drug deductible $50Part B giveback $81/mo · Dental up to $2,000/yr · eyewear $150/yr $0−$81 Part B giveback $8,300 $7,328 4.5★
15 HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-358 (PPO)Humana · PPO77 of 254 counties · drug deductible $50Part B giveback $81/mo · Dental up to $2,000/yr · eyewear $150/yr $0−$81 Part B giveback $8,300 $7,328 4★
16 HumanaChoice H5216-042 (PPO)Humana · PPO84 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $2,000/yr · eyewear $250/yr $62 $6,750 $7,494 4★
17 AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-0008 (PPO)UnitedHealthcare · PPO6 of 254 counties · drug deductible $520Preventive dental · eyewear $100/yr · hearing aids $700/yr $32 $7,150 $7,534 3★
18 Aetna Medicare Enhanced (PPO)Aetna Medicare · PPO15 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $1,500/yr · eyewear $275/yr · hearing aids $500/yr per ear · OTC items $120/yr $55 $7,150 $7,810 3.5★
19 HumanaChoice H5216-043 (PPO)Humana · PPO57 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $1,000/yr · eyewear $150/yr $20 $7,700 $7,940 4★
20 HumanaChoice H7617-059 (PPO)Humana · PPO57 of 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental up to $1,000/yr · eyewear $150/yr $23 $7,700 $7,976 4.5★
21 HumanaChoice R4182-004 (Regional PPO)Humana · Regional PPOAll 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental · eyewear $150/yr $46 $8,200 $8,752 3.5★
22 HumanaChoice R4182-003 (Regional PPO)Humana · Regional PPOAll 254 counties · drug deductible $700Dental · eyewear $150/yr $100 $8,200 $9,400 3.5★
23 AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC TX-61 (Regional PPO)UnitedHealthcare · Regional PPOAll 254 counties · drug deductible $685Preventive dental · eyewear $125/yr · hearing aids $700/yr $138 $9,850 $11,506 3★

Worst-case year = 12 × (monthly plan premium − any Part B giveback) + in-network maximum out-of-pocket. The giveback is money back on the Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026), which is otherwise the same for everyone, so a large one can push the worst-case year below $0; drug costs are capped separately at $2,400 in 2027. Other extras are the yearly maximums each plan filed with CMS and don’t change the order. Methodology

What changed since 2026

From our 2026 vs. 2027 Medicare Advantage study (CMS landscape, enrollment and crosswalk files).

Before you enroll, check that your doctors are in the plan’s network and how it covers your drugs in the Medicare Plan Finder. Weighing Advantage against Original Medicare with a Medigap plan? Run the county calculator.

Also sold here without drug coverage: HealthSpring Courage (HMO), Aetna Medicare Eagle (PPO), HumanaChoice R4182-001 (Regional PPO), AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx TX-MA01 (HMO-POS), Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO), Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO), AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot No Rx TX-MA05 (PPO), Humana Gold Choice H8145-126 (PFFS).

Questions

How many Medicare Advantage plans are in Nueces County for 2027?

23 general-audience plans with drug coverage, 13 of them with a $0 monthly premium, compared with 43 plans and 31 $0-premium plans in 2026. Special Needs Plans aren't counted.

Which plan has the lowest worst-case cost in Nueces County?

HealthSpring Preferred (HMO) from HealthSpring: $0 a month with an in-network out-of-pocket maximum of $3,300, so at most about $3,240 for the year in premiums and in-network costs.

Do any Nueces County plans have a Part B giveback?

5 do. The largest is $143 a month off your Part B premium, from HealthSpring Preferred Savings (HMO).

How many Nueces County plans have 4 or more stars?

14 of 23, based on CMS's 2027 ratings of the contract behind each plan.

Sources

  1. CMS, CY 2027 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Landscape (CY2027_Landscape_202609.csv), from cms.gov; extra benefits (Part B giveback, dental, eyewear, hearing aids, over-the-counter allowance) from the CMS CY 2027 Plan Benefit Package files, cms.gov, yearly amounts as each plan filed them; star ratings from the CMS 2027 Star Ratings Data Tables (October 8, 2026), cms.gov. Ratings are per contract, so plans under the same contract share one rating. General-audience plans only: Special Needs Plans, Cost plans and employer group plans are not ranked.
  2. County population: 2020 Census, via the USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (2023).

Educational information, not a recommendation to join any plan. We are not an insurance agent or broker, and we are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. · Advertiser disclosure

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