Best Medicare Advantage plan for dental coverage in Baltimore City, Maryland

Why this plan

3 of the 9 plans open to everyone here put $5,000 a year towards dental care, the most on offer. Among those 3, HealthSpring Alliance (HMO) comes first: it has the lowest premium, $28 a month.

What it gives up

• Its out-of-pocket limit, $9,200, is higher than most here (the middle plan's is $7,500): in a year with a lot of care, it could cost you more than other plans.
• Its star rating, 3 stars, is below average.

Who it suits

A large dental allowance suits you if you expect more than cleanings: a crown, a root canal, dentures or implants. Original Medicare covers almost none of that. An allowance is a ceiling, not a promise: the plan can still charge a copay or a share of each bill, limit how often it pays for a service, and pay only dentists in its network.

The next best for dental coverage

Before you choose

• Check your doctors and hospitals. Most Medicare Advantage plans pay only, or mostly, for care in their own network. Ask the plan, or your doctor's office, before you join.
• Price your prescriptions. What your drugs cost can differ by hundreds of dollars a year between plans and outweigh any premium difference. Add them in our plan list to see your own costs.
• Read the plan's own documents. We take every figure from what the plan filed with Medicare, but its Evidence of Coverage is the final word on what it pays.
• Get free advice if you want it. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free, unbiased help choosing a plan.

How we picked

The plan with the most money a year towards comprehensive dental care -- fillings, crowns, root canals, dentures -- as the plan filed it with Medicare. Money only dental care can use counts ahead of an allowance shared with other benefits. Plans that charge a set copay for each service instead of paying from an allowance (dental HMOs) aren't ranked by dollars; they're listed separately, by their highest copays for fillings and crowns, root canals and dentures. Where several tie, we look next at the largest Part B giveback, then the lowest premium, then the lowest out-of-pocket limit for in-network care. Plans that still tie are listed by name.

We compare the 9 Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage that anyone with Medicare in Baltimore City can join. Special needs plans and PACE, which are only for people who qualify, aren't included; you'll find them on the Baltimore City page. No plan pays to be picked.