Best Medicare Advantage plan for the lowest cost in a bad year in Wake County, North Carolina

Why this plan

HealthSpring Preferred Select (HMO) charges no premium and caps what you pay for in-network medical care at $3,200, so $3,200 is the most a year of covered care can cost you: the lowest worst case of the 38 plans open to everyone here. The next is Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO), at $3,400 a year at most (no premium, a $3,400 limit).

AARP Medicare Advantage Access from UHC NC-23 (PPO) has a lower out-of-pocket limit, $3,000, but its premium of $255 a month makes its worst year $6,060.

The middle plan's worst year here is $6,130: in a year with a hospital stay or a run of treatment, this plan could cost you up to $2,930 less.

What it gives up

Nothing we can measure: its premium and out-of-pocket limit are no higher than most plans' here, and its star rating isn't below average.

Where else it does well

• It also gives back $5 a month of your Part B premium.

Who it suits

This suits you if you have an ongoing condition, a surgery or treatment coming, or simply want to know the worst a year can cost. Once your copays and coinsurance for in-network medical care reach the plan's out-of-pocket limit, it pays in full for covered care for the rest of the year -- but you keep paying the premium, so we count both.

The next best for the lowest cost in a bad year

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 whose worst year costs least: twelve months of premiums plus its yearly limit on what you pay for covered medical care in its network. Drugs aren't included; Part D has its own yearly cap. Where several tie, we look next at the largest Part B giveback, then the lowest premium, then the lowest copay to see a primary care doctor. Plans that still tie are listed by name.

We compare the 38 Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage that anyone with Medicare in Wake County can join. Special needs plans and PACE, which are only for people who qualify, aren't included; you'll find them on the Wake County page. No plan pays to be picked.