Best Medicare Advantage plan for the lowest cost in a bad year in Josephine County, Oregon

Why this plan

Aetna Medicare Elite (HMO) is the only plan with drug coverage we compare here, so it is the pick by default: $7,150 a year at most (no premium, a $7,150 limit). Original Medicare, with a Part D plan and a Medigap policy, is the other way to get covered.

ATRIO Prime Rx (PPO) would come first on this alone, but Medicare rates it 2.5 stars, below the 3 stars we require for a pick.

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.

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

We don't pick plans Medicare rates below 3 stars, and leave 2 out here: ATRIO Choice Rx (PPO) (2.5 stars), ATRIO Prime Rx (PPO) (2.5 stars). Plans too new to have a rating are included, and say so.