Best Medicare Advantage plan for the lowest cost in a bad year in Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Why this plan

Align ChoiceElite (PPO) costs $792 a year in premiums and caps what you pay for in-network medical care at $3,500, so $4,292 is the most a year of covered care can cost you: the lowest worst case of the 9 plans open to everyone here. The next is Align ChoicePlus (PPO), at $4,900 a year at most (no premium, a $4,900 limit).

Medica Prime Solution Premier w/Rx (Cost) has a lower out-of-pocket limit, $3,000, but its premium of $334.70 a month makes its worst year $7,016.40.

The middle plan's worst year here is $6,410.40: in a year with a hospital stay or a run of treatment, this plan could cost you up to $2,118.40 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 is rated 4.5 stars, among Medicare's highest ratings.

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