Wellcare Medicare Plans Review
Wellcare and its parent company Centene offer Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in many parts of the country. Learn more about Wellcare Medicare plans, what they can cover and the types of eligibility requirements they may have.
Private Medicare insurance plans are sold by health care companies like Wellcare. Wellcare started in Tampa, Florida, in 1985 and is now part of the Centene Corporation.
Wellcare offers Medicare Part D prescription drug plans in parts of all 50 states and Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans in 32 states.
Below is an overview of Wellcare Medicare plans, including what they cover, where they are sold, pros and cons of Wellcare Medicare plans and more.
Wellcare offers several types of Medicare Advantage plans, though each of the below types of plans may not be available in all areas.
Medicare Advantage plans provide all of the same benefits as Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B), and some plans offer additional coverage for things like prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing or fitness programs. Benefits can vary from one plan to another.
Wellcare HMO Plans
A Wellcare HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plan can help you save on some out-of-pocket costs when you visit the health providers who participate in the plan’s network.
You will typically be required to choose a Primary Care Physician (PCP) who will help coordinate your care and assign referrals to see specialists.
Wellcare PPO Plans
A PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan allows for a greater freedom of choice to visit the doctors, pharmacies and other health care providers you wish. PPO plan members are less restricted to a network and may be able to use their plan when traveling out of state. However, you will likely pay higher out-of-pocket costs if you see providers outside of your plan network than you would if you visit in-network doctors.
With a PPO plan, there is not typically a need to choose a Primary Care Physician or obtain a referral to see a specialist.
Wellcare Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs)
A Wellcare Chronic Condition Special Needs (C-SNP) plan can be custom built to fit the specific needs of someone with a particular condition, such as diabetes or congestive heart failure.
These plans include enhanced coverage for the treatments associated with the respective condition to help plan members better manage their lifestyle and risk.
Wellcare Dual Eligibility Plans (D-SNPs)
A Wellcare Dual Special Needs (D-SNP) plan supports people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. These plans can include benefits for things that can be especially helpful to Medicaid beneficiaries such as reimbursement for over-the-counter (OTC) health care items, meal delivery, rides to doctor appointments. Benefits vary by plan, however.
These plan members may also be eligible for the Medicare Extra Help program, which provides financial assistance for prescription drug coverage.
Wellcare offers Medicare Advantage plans in at least some counties of the following states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans may not be available in all areas of the above states.
Medicare Part D plans provide coverage for prescription medications. Wellcare offers several different Medicare Part D prescription drug plans from which to choose, thought the available of plans near you may vary depending on where you live.
Wellcare Part D plans include coverage for thousands of different drugs and are accepted by a broad range of pharmacies such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and more. Plan selection and cost may vary by location.
Some Wellcare Medicare plans can come with additional benefits to plan shoppers.
Wellcare Spendables Card
The Wellcare Spendables Card is a pre-loaded debit card that members of certain Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans can use to pay for eligible health products or services. The pre-loaded amount can range from one plan to the next, depending on plan selection and service area.
The Wellcare Spendables Card is similar to a flex card that some Medicare Advantage plans from other insurance companies may also offer.
The Wellcare Spendables Card can be used to pay for covered over-the-counter (OTC) products such as incontinence supplies or cold medicine.
Some Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans may allow for the Spendables Card to be used to help pay for healthy food, rent, utility bills or gas. The plans that allow for these types of purchases, however, may be limited to beneficiaries who have a qualifying chronic health condition or who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. These types of plans may not be offered by Wellcare in all areas.
Prescription Drug Mail Delivery
Wellcare Medicare Part D plans and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans can cover mail-order delivery of prescription drugs. This benefit allows you to have your medications delivered to your home or place of work and can help save you from making trips to the pharmacy.
Health and Wellness Center
The Wellcare health and wellness center is packed with interactive tools to help members manage conditions, save money on health care and more.
Dedicated Customer Service
Wellcare provides a dedicated customer service line for plan members who need help finding a doctor or pharmacy, understanding coverage and costs and more, all just a phone call away.
You may be able to enroll in a Wellcare Medicare plan if plans are offered in your area and if you have a qualifying enrollment period.
You can compare Medicare Advantage plans online to find out which plans are available in your ZIP code.
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.
