Wellcare is part of Centene Corp., which is the sixth-largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans
[1]
. Centene completed its acquisition of Wellcare in early 2020.

Wellcare’s ratings are lower than other providers' numbers. Only about one-tenth of 1% of Wellcare’s members who are in contracts that have a Medicare star rating are in one with a rating of 4 or higher (out of 5) in 2023. Wellcare’s plans struggle in many categories, and member satisfaction places them behind other Medicare Advantage providers.

Here’s what you should know about Wellcare Medicare Advantage.

Wellcare Medicare Advantage pros and cons
Wellcare’s Medicare Advantage plans have upsides and downsides.

Pros
Company strength: In 2020, Centene completed its acquisition of Wellcare, and the combined entities claimed 4.4% of the Medicare Advantage market in 2023
[2]
.

Dental, vision and hearing benefits: Some Wellcare plans include the Flex Card, which comes preloaded with additional funds members can use on dental, vision and hearing benefits once they’ve exhausted their plan coverage.

Extra benefits for the chronically ill: Some plans include special supplementary benefits for the chronically ill, including food, utility, in-home fitness services and care concierge benefits.

Part B premium coverage: Some plans include a Giveback benefit that refunds some or all of your Medicare Part B premium.

Cons
Low star ratings: For 2023, Wellcare’s average star rating from Medicare — weighted by enrollment — is 2.88 stars (out of 5 stars), compared with an overall average among all Medicare Advantage plans of 4.15 stars. Wellcare’s contracts also score poorly on many individual factors, from the percentage of plan members who get a flu shot to how easy it is for members to get help when they need it.

Member discontent: When it comes to member satisfaction, J.D. Power found that Centene (which acquired Wellcare in early 2020) came in last out of the nine Medicare Advantage companies ranked.

Limited state coverage: Wellcare’s footprint lags behind several other providers. Wellcare offers Medicare Advantage plans in 36 states and special needs plans, or SNPs, in 32 states.

» MORE: Best Medicare Advantage plans
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Wellcare Medicare Advantage star ratings
Average star rating, weighted by enrollment: 2.88

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains its own database of star ratings on every Medicare Advantage and separate Medicare Part D plan, ranging from best (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The agency bases these ratings on plans’ quality of care and measurements of customer satisfaction, and ratings may change from year to year.

All Medicare Advantage plans are evaluated on health plan measures, and Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage are also evaluated on drug plan measures.

Based on the most recent year of data and weighted by enrollment, Wellcare’s 2023 Medicare Advantage plans get an average rating of 2.88 stars
[3]
.

For comparison, the average weighted star rating for plans from all providers is 4.15
[4]
.

Only one Wellcare Medicare Advantage contract received 4 stars for 2023, so only about one-tenth of 1% of Wellcare's members who are in rated contracts are in a contract with 4 stars or more as of January 2023
[5]
. 

There were also 14 Wellcare contracts that were too new to be measured and 17 more with insufficient data available for scoring by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Where did Wellcare outperform?

Where did WellCare struggle?

You can find a plan’s rating with the Medicare plan finding tool.

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Fair Square is a licensed Medicare Brokerage with over 2,500 5-star reviews. You can reach them at (888) 292-2091.
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What does Wellcare Medicare Advantage cost?
Costs for Medicare Advantage plans will depend on your plan, your geographic location and your health needs. 

Premiums
One of the costs to consider is the plan’s premium. Of Wellcare’s HMO, PPO and PFFS plans in 2023, nearly seven out of 10 offer a $0 premium. For plans with a premium, monthly costs range from $6.10 to $232
[6]
. Special needs plans with premiums range from $4.50 to $38.90. About 2% of Wellcare’s special needs plans offer $0 premiums.

Even as a Medicare Advantage user, you’ll still be responsible for paying your Medicare Part B premium, which is at least $164.90 per month in 2023. (Most people pay this standard amount, but if your income is above a certain threshold, you’ll pay more.)

Copays, coinsurance and deductibles
Requirements for copays, coinsurance and deductibles vary depending on your plan, location and the services you use. Out-of-pocket costs to consider include:

The plan's deductibles.

Copayments and/or coinsurance for each visit or service. For instance, there may be a $10 copay for seeing your primary doctor and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.

The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.

Whether your medical providers are in-network or out-of-network, and how often you may go out-of-network for care.

Whether you require extra benefits, and if the plan charges for them.

To get a sense of costs, use Medicare’s plan finding tool to compare information among available plans in your area. You can select by insurance carrier to see only Wellcare plans, or compare across carriers. You can also shop directly from Wellcare’s website by entering your ZIP code, and you’ll be able to compare the plans available.