Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance Review

Humana provides lots of options for coverage and extras, but its prices and complaint rates are higher than average.
Alex Rosenberg
By Alex Rosenberg 
Updated
Edited by Holly Carey

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Humana Medigap

Humana

Humana has a lot of options for Medigap plan types and extra perks. However, its prices can be expensive, and complaint rates about Humana policies are significantly higher than the market average.

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Plan types offered

A, B, C, F, G, K, L and N.


NAIC complaint rate

Far more than expected


Premium discounts available

Above average


Plan types offered

A, B, C, F, G, K, L and N.


NAIC complaint rate

Far more than expected


Premium discounts available

Above average


Pros

  • More plan type options than most competitors.
  • Many extra benefits, including rarer ones like SilverSneakers and meal delivery.

Cons

  • Premiums can be expensive.
  • Complaint rate more than triple the industry average.

Humana offers Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap, in every state, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Humana has a lot of options for Medigap plan types and extra perks. However, its prices can be expensive, and complaint rates about Humana policies are significantly higher than the market average.

Here’s what you should know about Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance pros and cons

Humana’s Medigap offerings have advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

Cons

  • Variety of plan types: Humana offers more options for Medigap plan types than most competitors in many areas.

  • Plenty of extras: Humana policies can offer a lot of extra benefits. Some, like SilverSneakers and meal delivery, are rare to find from competitors.

  • Pricing: Quotes for Humana policies obtained for this review were about 66% more expensive than the lowest-cost alternative, on average.

  • Complaint rate: Customers file more than three times as many complaints about Humana Medigap plans as the industry average.

NerdWallet analysis of Humana Medigap quotes. Get a Quote.

NerdWallet analysis of NAIC data. Company Complaint Index.

Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance plans

Humana offers as many as six Medicare Supplement Insurance plans for purchase by 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. Available as a standard plan or high-deductible option in some locations.

  • 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.

Humana also offers Medigap Plan C, Medigap Plan F and the high-deductible version of Plan F in certain locations for qualifying beneficiaries who were eligible to enroll in Medicare before 2020. Newer Medicare members can’t buy these plans from any insurance company.

In addition, Humana offers 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.

Humana’s plan offerings vary by state. Enter your ZIP code on Humana’s website to see a breakdown of the options available where you live.

Cost for Humana Medigap plans

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)

NerdWallet analysis of American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance data. Lowest & Highest Costs for 10 Major Metros. Accessed Aug 10, 2023.
:

  • Los Angeles. More expensive than average.

  • Atlanta. Average cost for the U.S.

  • Washington, D.C. Less expensive than average.

The sections below show pricing information from Humana 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 men.)

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, Humana’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.

Plan A

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for Medigap Plan A were about 72% higher than the least-expensive Plan A policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$227.88.

$107.

Atlanta

$147.28.

$108.

Washington, D.C.

$149.97.

$81.

Plan B

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for Medigap Plan B were about 45% higher than the least-expensive Plan B policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$247.83.

$164.

Washington, D.C.

$163.05.

$110.

(Humana didn't offer Plan B in Atlanta when quotes were obtained for this review.)

Plan G

Standard Plan G

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for standard Medigap Plan G were about 59% higher than the least-expensive standard Plan G policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$259.04.

$137.

Atlanta

$148.74.

$112.

Washington, D.C.

$192.55.

$112.

High-deductible Plan G

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for the high-deductible version of Plan G were about 73% higher than the least-expensive high-deductible Plan G policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$69.99.

$37.

Atlanta

$51.03.

$39.

Washington, D.C.

$53.16.

$24.

Plan K

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for Medigap Plan K were about 98% higher than the least-expensive Plan K policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$126.55.

$60.

Washington, D.C.

$88.77.

$45.

(Humana didn't offer Plan K in Atlanta when quotes were obtained for this review.)

Plan L

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for Medigap Plan L were about 63% higher than the least-expensive Plan L policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$182.51.

$108.

Washington, D.C.

$125.34.

$75.

(Humana didn't offer Plan L in Atlanta when quotes were obtained for this review.)

Plan N

On average, Humana’s quoted prices for Medigap Plan N were about 51% higher than the least-expensive Plan N policy in the area.

Humana-quoted price

Medicare.gov lowest price

Los Angeles

$188.08.

$105.

Washington, D.C.

$113.

$86.

(Humana didn't offer Plan N in Atlanta when quotes were obtained for this review.)

Discounts

Here are a few examples of discounts Humana offers to qualifying Medicare Supplement Insurance applicants:

  • Online application — New applicants in most states can qualify for a 6% discount for applying online.

  • Household — Qualifying applicants can receive a discount if more than one household member has a Humana Medigap policy.

  • Recurring payments — Qualifying members can receive $2 per month off premiums for setting up automatic recurring payments using a credit card or bank account.

Available discounts may vary according to factors such as your location and household status and how you apply for a policy.

Humana member complaints

223% more complaints than average

Members file complaints about Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance plans about 223% more often than the average for all Medigap plans, according to 2022 data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for Humana and its subsidiaries that sell Medigap policies

National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Company Complaint Index. Accessed Aug 10, 2023.
.

NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.

Humana’s spending on care

80.3% for member benefits

Medicare Supplement Insurance companies must report data on the premiums they collect and how much they spend to provide benefits for members.

Based on the most recent year of data, Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance plans spend about 80.3% of premiums on member benefits

. (The other 19.7% goes to overhead expenses like administrative costs, marketing, salaries and commissions.)

For comparison, the average for all companies is 77.3%. The minimum required by law for individual Medigap policies is 60%

Code of Federal Regulations. Title 42, Part 403, Section 215. Accessed Aug 10, 2023.
.

Additional benefits

Medigap plans have standardized Medicare benefits, but companies can offer additional perks. Here are examples of extras included with some Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance policies:

  • Fitness program. The SilverSneakers program gives qualifying members access to participating gyms, including group classes and work with trainers.

  • Meal delivery. Qualifying members can have precooked frozen meals delivered to their homes after they come back from an overnight stay in a hospital or nursing facility.

  • Discount program. Humana offers discounts on prescriptions, vision and hearing products and services, and the Lifeline medical alert service to qualifying members.

  • Nurse line. A 24/7 toll-free nurse line has registered nurses on staff to answer questions and help members handle health issues.

Third-party ratings

There are a few companies that weigh in on customers’ experiences with insurance companies or the strength of the company in question, and we’ve included two here:

American Customer Satisfaction Index: 77 out of 100

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) rates consumer satisfaction with products and services based on a scientific model developed at the University of Michigan. Ratings are derived from surveys that measure consumers’ expectations and perceived quality and value of products and services.

In 2022, Humana scored 77 out of 100 on the ACSI health insurance satisfaction benchmark

American Customer Satisfaction Index. Health Insurance. Accessed Aug 10, 2023.
. ACSI measures satisfaction with the health insurance industry as a whole — the benchmark isn’t specific to Medicare Supplement Insurance. Humana had the highest score in the benchmark. The health insurance industry average was 73.

AM Best Financial Strength Rating: A-

AM Best is a credit rating agency that specializes in the insurance industry. In September 2022, AM Best affirmed its Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) for the majority of health and dental subsidiaries of Humana Inc

. AM Best also affirmed a rating of B++ (Good) for Humana Insurance of Puerto Rico Inc., a Humana subsidiary that offers Medigap policies in Puerto Rico.

An A- rating in this category indicates that Humana has an excellent ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, according to AM Best. A B++ rating indicates that Humana Insurance of Puerto Rico has a good ability to meet ongoing insurance obligations, according to AM Best.

Humana Medicare Supplement Insurance service area

Humana offers Medicare Supplement Insurance plans in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Humana covers about 332,000 Medicare Supplement Insurance beneficiaries and has about a 2.1% share of the total Medicare Supplement Insurance market as of the end of 2021

National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 2021 Medicare Supplement Insurance Experience Reports. Accessed Aug 10, 2023.
.

Humana Medigap customer service

Here’s how Humana Medigap members can contact customer service:

  • Call Humana’s Medicare customer service line at 800-457-4708, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday. (TTY dial 711 and follow the prompts.)

  • Chat with a customer service representative by logging in to Humana’s member site.

  • Contact Humana through Twitter.

  • Contact Humana through Facebook.

Compare alternatives

Here's how Medicare Supplement Insurance companies compare with Humana.

About Humana

Humana is a health insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its insurance offerings include Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicare Supplement Insurance, Medicaid coverage and dental and vision plans. In February 2023, Humana announced that it would no longer offer employer-based health plans

.

As of September 2022, Humana had about 8.7 million members across all of its Medicare products. Humana posted annual revenue of $92.9 billion in 2022

.

Read the NerdWallet reviews of these other Humana Medicare offerings:

Find the right Medicare Supplement Insurance plan

Because Medigap plans are standardized, you can get precisely the same Medicare benefits from any company offering the plan. So when you shop, keep these considerations in mind to find the best policy to fit your needs:

  • Is your preferred plan available? Health insurance companies don’t always sell every plan, so check who sells the plan you want to buy in your area.

  • What are the premiums? Prices for the same plan can vary between companies, so check to find the most competitive rates.

  • Will your premiums change over time? Most policies cost more as you age, but some companies offer policies that let you lock in a price when you sign up.

  • Are there extras? Medigap plans’ core benefits are standardized, but in certain cases, some companies include such perks as discount programs or gym memberships.

If you have additional questions about Medicare, visit Medicare.gov or call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227, TTY 877-486-2048).

Still deciding on the right carrier? Compare Medigap plans

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