Iowa · 2026 plan year
Medicare Advantage PPO plans in Iowa
There are 23 Medicare Advantage PPO plans in Iowa from 7 carriers, averaging 3.72 out of 5 stars across the 23 plans CMS has rated. Nearly all charge no monthly plan premium, so what separates them is network, drug coverage and how much you could owe in a bad year.
23
PPO plans
7
Carriers
99
Counties covered
3.7
Average stars
Varies
Avg out-of-pocket max
A $0 plan premium is not a free plan. You still pay your Part B premium to Medicare, plus copays and coinsurance as you use care. Star ratings are published by CMS per contract, so every plan a carrier files under the same contract shares one rating — it describes the carrier’s performance, not this specific plan’s benefits. Estimate your real costs.
Iowa PPO plans rank 39th of 51 on star rating.
Across the 23 rated plans here the average overall rating is 3.72 stars, 39th highest of the 51 states with PPO plans. Ratings apply to the contract, so every plan a carrier files under one contract shares the same score.
Not sure whether Medicare Advantage suits you at all? Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare covers the trade in plain language.
Highest rated
Top-rated PPO plans in Iowa
| Plan | Stars | Out-of-pocket max | Premium / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Align ChoiceElite (PPO)Align powered by Sanford Health Plan | 4.5★ | — | $10.30 |
| Align ChoicePlus (PPO)Align powered by Sanford Health Plan | 4.5★ | — | $0 |
| Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO)Aetna Medicare | 4★ | — | $0 |
| Aetna Medicare Enhanced Extra (PPO)Aetna Medicare | 4★ | — | $0 |
| Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO)Aetna Medicare | 4★ | — | $0 |
Showing 5 of 23. See all IowaMedicare Advantage plans →
Who sells here
PPO plans by carrier
| Carrier | Plans | Avg stars | SNPs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HumanaHumana Inc. | 6 | 3.5 | 3 |
| MedicaMedica Holding Company | 4 | 3.5 | — |
| Aetna MedicareCVS Health Corporation | 3 | 4.0 | — |
| MediGoldTrinity Health Corporation | 3 | 4.0 | — |
| UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 3 | 3.5 | — |
| Align powered by Sanford Health PlanSanford Health | 2 | 4.5 | — |
| Wellmark Advantage Health PlanBlue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Ins. Co. | 2 | 3.5 | — |
Other plan types in Iowa
How PPO compares
Nearby on quality
States with similar PPO star ratings
Common questions
Iowa Medicare Advantage PPO plans, answered
How much do Medicare Advantage PPO plans cost in Iowa?
Of the Iowa PPO plans with a published premium, 81% charge $0 a month. A $0 premium does not mean the plan is free: you still pay your Part B premium to Medicare, plus copays and coinsurance as you use care. The number that actually caps a bad year is the plan's out-of-pocket maximum — check it on each plan, since CMS does not publish it uniformly for PPO plans.
What are the star ratings for Iowa PPO plans?
The 23 rated PPO plans in Iowa average 3.72 out of 5 stars, with 8 rating 4 or better. CMS rates a contract rather than an individual plan, so every plan a carrier files under the same contract shares one score. A contract that is too new or has too little data is not rated at all, which is different from rating badly.
How many Medicare Advantage PPO plans are available in Iowa?
There are 23 PPO plans from 7 carriers, sold across 99 counties. Availability is set by county, so the plans you can actually join depend on where you live — the full list is rarely available in any one place. 3 of them are Special Needs Plans with extra eligibility rules (see below).
Do Iowa PPO plans include prescription drug coverage?
23 of the 23 PPO plans here bundle Part D drug coverage into the plan. That is the usual arrangement for Medicare Advantage and there is no separate drug premium for it — the plan premium covers both. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan without drug coverage, you generally cannot add a standalone Part D plan alongside it.
What is a Special Needs Plan, and are there any in Iowa?
3 of the 23 PPO plans in Iowa are Special Needs Plans. SNPs limit enrollment to people who also have Medicaid, live in a nursing home or similar institution, or have a qualifying chronic condition. They often carry richer benefits for that group, but if you do not meet the criteria you cannot join one — so the real number of plans open to you may be lower than the total.
A $0 premium is not the whole cost.
See what a year really looks like.
Simplivera models your actual annual costs across Iowa Medicare Advantage plans.
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