AARP Medicare Plans Review

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Millions of U.S. adults take advantage of the many benefits provided by AARP membership, such as the private Medicare insurance plans that AARP offers through its partnership with UnitedHealthcare.

Below is a review of AARP Medicare plans including the types of plans available and the different range of benefits they may offer.

AARP not only provides private Medicare plans in partnership with UnitedHealthcare, but the organization can actually be credited with helping lay some of the early groundwork for Medicare. 

In 1958, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus formed AARP in part to extend group health insurance to all retired persons. Seven years later, the idea of a centralized health insurance policy for retired Americans took its next big step with the creation of Medicare. 

Today, nearly 38 million people belong to AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), a nonprofit organization that works to address the needs and interests of people 50 and older.

UnitedHealthcare works with over 1.3 million doctors and health care providers and 6,700 hospitals and facilities across the nation.

Thanks to its partnership with UnitedHealthcare, AARP benefits from having a nationwide insurance market with Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans, Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and Medicare Supplement Insurance (also called Medigap) plans offered in most areas across the country.

UnitedHealthcare accounted for the largest percentage of Medicare Advantage enrollment of any insurance company in the U.S. in 2024.

Not all plans are available in all locations, however.

A Medicare Advantage plan provides an alternative way to receive Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) benefits. AARP provides Medicare Advantage plans through UnitedHealthcare, all of which cover everything you’ll find in Medicare Part A and Part B. 

These plans can then go above and beyond Original Medicare coverage to offer additional benefits not found in either Medicare Part A or Part B. 

Some AARP Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare can offer additional coverage for things like:

• Routine dental benefits for things like exams, X-rays and cleanings. Some Medicare Advantage plans might cover more advanced care such as fillings or dentures.
  
  
• Vision coverage that might include things like eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses.
  
  
• Coverage for things like hearing exams and hearing aids.
  
  
• Telehealth (telemedicine) beyond what Original Medicare already covers, allowing you to chat with medical professionals from the safety and convenience of your own home.
  
  
• Memberships programs like AARP Renew Active, which are fitness programs designed specifically for older adults and offered at gyms and community centers all over the U.S.

AARP Medicare Advantage plans can come in different forms, though each type of plan may not be available where you live.

• An HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan typically requires you to choose a primary care physician who coordinates your health care within a network of participating providers. You’re typically restricted to seeing doctors and providers within the plan network except for in cases where emergency care is needed.
  
  
• A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) can give you more freedom to seek out health care from outside of the plan’s network, and you typically do not need to go through a primary care physician in order to see a specialist. You may pay higher out-of-pocket costs when you visit doctor’s outside of your plan network, however, and you may be able to save money when you visit in-network providers.
  
  
• Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are designed to address the specific health care needs of people with certain medical conditions or who are dual-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

AARP offers a few different Part D plans nationwide, though plan costs, coverage and features can differ according to location.

Some plans offer increased savings if you fill your prescription within the plan’s preferred network of pharmacies. Some AARP Part D plans even include mail order service which allows you to get up to a 90 day supply of medications delivered right to your doorstep.

You can use the AARP Locate a Pharmacy tool to find out whether or not your local pharmacy is part of the UnitedHealthcare AARP Part D plan network.

AARP MedicareRx Preferred (PDP) 

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, this Part D plan from AARP comes with a weighted average monthly premium of $106 in 2024. Nearly 1.4 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries were enrolled in the AARP MedicareRX Preferred plan in 2024.

AARP MedicareRx Walgreens (PDP)

This plan features a partnership with preferred Walgreens pharmacies across the nation and features an average monthly premium of $60 per month. With this plan, you may typically pay a $2 copay for preferred generic drugs.

Medicare Supplement Insurance, or “Medigap,” is a type of private Medicare insurance that is used to supplement Original Medicare coverage. Medigap policies help pick up the cost of deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and other out-of-pocket expenses that are required by Medicare Part A and Part B.

AARP Medicare Supplement plans are accepted by any doctor, hospital, facility or provider who accepts Medicare. This means that you can keep your doctor and have coverage when you travel within the U.S.

While the cost and selection of AARP Medigap plans will typically vary from one location or carrier to the next, the benefits of each type of plan are standardized by the federal government. There are 10 standardized Medicare Supplement Insurance plans available in most states, and AARP sells all but one of them.

The chart below shows the complete benefits of each type of standardized Medicare.

AARP Medicare Supplement Plan F 

Medigap Plan F is the most popular Medicare Supplement plan most likely because offers the most benefits of any available plan. Members of Plan F face little to no out-of-pocket Medicare expenses for their health care. 

Federal legislation has made Plan F off-limits to anyone who became eligible for Medicare on January 1, 2020 or later. This means that if you became eligible for Medicare before 2020, you may still be able to apply for Plan F if it’s available where you live, and if you had Plan F before 2020, you can keep your plan.

If you became eligible for Medicare after Jan. 1, 2020, however, you won’t be able to purchase Plan F or Plan C, which is outlined below.

AARP Medicare Supplement Plan C

Plan C includes all of the same coverage as Plan F except for Medicare Part B excess charges, which occur when certain health care providers are allowed to charge up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount for their services or items.

If you make sure to visit providers who accept Medicare assignment (which means they accept Medicare reimbursement as payment in full), then you can typically avoid Medicare excess charges.

Like Plan F, Plan C is also only available to beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare prior to Jan. 1, 2020. 

AARP Medicare Supplement Plan G

Plan G is also highly popular among Medicare beneficiaries and will only continue to grow in popularity, as the share of people eligible for Plan F will go down over time. 

Plan G includes all of the same benefits as Plan F with the only exception being coverage for the Medicare Part B deductible.

In 2024, the annual Part B deductible is $240. This means that once you meet your Part B deductible for the year and if you have Plan G, you will typically face little or no out-of-pocket Medicare costs for the remainder of the year (other than your Plan G premium and your Medicare Part B monthly premium).

Additional AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans

In addition to the three plans highlighted above, AARP also offers Plan A, B, D, K, L and N. The only Medigap plan not sold by AARP is Plan M.

Not every plan will necessarily be available in every location.

UnitedHealthcare financial strength ratings in 2024 included an A2 from Moody's, A+ from S&P Global, A from Fitch and A from A.M. Best.

UnitedHealthcare also ranks number 4 on the Fortune 500 list. 

Because AARP Medicare plans operate under the UnitedHealthcare brand, members enjoy access to one of the largest nationwide networks of doctors, pharmacies and other health care providers.

You can use the UHC Find a Doctor tool to find out if your doctor, pharmacy, dentist or vision care provider will accept an AARP Medicare plan.

Does AARP Medicare Cover Vision?

Some Medicare Advantage plans may help cover vision care including things like eye exams, prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Some AARP Medicare Advantage plans may include vision benefits at no extra cost, though some may include deductibles or copays for certain services.

Does AARP Medicare Cover Dental?

Like vision, dental benefits are sometimes included in Medicare Advantage plans.

These hearing benefits can often cover things like routine teeth exams, teeth cleanings, X-rays, fillings or dentures. 

You can visit the Medicare.UHC.com website to create your AARP Medicare account and gain access to various tools and resources designed to manage your health, such as finding a health care provider or getting answers to your questions from a UnitedHealthcare Customer Service Advocate.

Helpadvisor.com is owned and operated by Tranzact, the parent company of TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, which is the owner/operator of Medicareadvantage.com and other websites mentioned on HelpAdvisor and which has a financial relationship with some of the carriers listed on HelpAdvisor.