AARP’s Medicare Supplement Insurance plans are insured exclusively by UnitedHealthcare. The AARP and UnitedHealthcare co-branded plans are available in every state and Washington, D.C.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest seller of Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap, and of Medicare Advantage plans
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AARP/UnitedHealthcare offers most Medigap plan types — often with multiple options for pricing and extra benefits. Prices are competitive, and complaint rates for the company’s Medicare Supplement Insurance plans are considerably lower than the market average.

Here’s what you should know about AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance from UnitedHealthcare.


AARP/UHC Medicare Supplement Insurance pros and cons
AARP and UnitedHealthcare’s Medigap offerings have advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

Cons

Plenty of plan types: Eight of the 10 standard Medigap plan types are available to qualifying applicants.

Available everywhere: Plans are available in every state — even Massachusetts, which competitors tend to skip.

Customers are happy: Customers complain about AARP/UHC Medigap plans at relatively low rates, and UHC does well on third-party customer satisfaction ratings.

Extra perks add cost: The health and wellness discounts sold as “wellness extras” are sometimes costly, while some competitors include similar perks for free.

Plan types can be confusing: Some plans are offered with as many as three variations, each with different pricing, extras and restrictions.

Lowest-priced plans have network requirements: Medicare Select plans have lower premiums, but only work if you can stay in-network for inpatient care.

» MORE: Best Medicare Supplement Insurance companies
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Available Medicare Supplement Insurance plans
AARP and UnitedHealthcare offer these Medicare Supplement Insurance plans in at least some locations for any Medicare member:

Medigap Plan A — the basic benefits included in every Medigap plan without any extras.

Medigap Plan B — basic benefits plus coverage for the Medicare Part A deductible.

Medigap Plan G — the highest-coverage option available to new Medicare members.

Medigap Plan K — the lowest-cost Medigap plan, with 50% coverage for most benefits.

Medigap Plan L — a low-cost option with 75% coverage for most benefits.

Medigap Plan N — a plan with lower premiums but higher copays.

Medigap Plan C and Medigap Plan F are also available for beneficiaries who were eligible to enroll in Medicare prior to 2020. Newer Medicare members can’t buy these plans from any insurance company.

In addition, AARP and UnitedHealthcare offer plans in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin according to each state's Medigap plan standards, which differ from the standardization system used in the majority of the country.

Medicare Select policies add network requirements
AARP and UnitedHealthcare offer Medicare Select policies in some locations. These plans cover the same Medicare services as any Medigap plan of the same type, but they require beneficiaries to get inpatient services from in-network hospitals and health care providers.

In exchange for the network restrictions, Select plans may offer lower premiums than their non-Select counterparts.

If you have a Medicare Select plan and get services from an out-of-network hospital, you become responsible for the Medicare Part A deductible, which is $1,600 in 2023. Exceptions are available for emergency services, services not available from an in-network hospital and when you’re more than 100 miles from home.

Select plans aren’t available in all areas or for all Medigap plan types. Enter your ZIP code on UnitedHealthcare’s website to check what’s available to you and to compare prices for Select and non-Select plans.

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Additional benefits
Medigap plans have standardized Medicare benefits, but companies can offer additional perks. Here are examples of extra benefits available with some AARP/UnitedHealthcare policies:

24/7 nurse line: Members can call to speak with a nurse to ask questions, discuss concerns or get help accessing community resources.

Gym memberships: Some plans include gym memberships at no additional cost.

Discounts for dental, hearing and vision: Some plans include discounts on dental services, eye exams, eyewear and hearing devices from certain providers.

Driver safety course: Some plans grant members access to the AARP Smart Driver course. Completing that course might help members qualify for auto insurance discounts.

Note: In some cases, extra perks are included only in plans sold with the “+ wellness extras” label. In most cases, these extras carry an additional cost over a version of the same plan without the extras. However, in some states, such as California, there is no option — plans automatically include the extras even though there’s no “+ wellness extras” label.

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UnitedHealthcare Medicare Supplement Insurance service area
AARP offers UnitedHealthcare-insured Medicare Supplement Insurance plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

UnitedHealthcare is by far the largest Medicare Supplement Insurance company. The company covers about 4.4 million Medigap beneficiaries, and its share of the total Medicare Supplement Insurance market is about 33.2%
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Cost
The following price quotes were obtained for three metropolitan areas representing above-average, average and below-average costs for the most popular Medicare Supplement Insurance plans (Plan G and Plan N)
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Los Angeles: More expensive than average.

Atlanta: Average cost for the U.S.

Dallas: Less expensive than average.

The sections below show pricing information from UnitedHealthcare for a 65-year-old female nonsmoker and reflect base pricing with optional discounts removed or factored out whenever the option was available. (Note: Some Medigap prices may be higher for males.)

For comparison, each table also includes the price for the least-expensive option to buy the same plan from other companies, based on information from Medicare.gov. For example, AARP/UnitedHealthcare’s price for Medigap Plan A in Los Angeles appears alongside the lowest price on Medicare.gov for all Plan A policies available in Los Angeles to an applicant with identical demographics.

(Prices are current as of February 2023.)

Plan A
On average, AARP/UnitedHealthcare’s lowest quoted prices for Medigap Plan A were about 25% higher than the least-expensive Plan A policy in the area.