WellCare Health Plans Medicare review

In our WellCare Health Plans Medicare review, we see how the available plans can help you with your prescription drugs costs.

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review
(Image: © WellCare)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

As WellCare Health Plans Medicare focuses on government-sponsored health plans, customer support is well-versed in the program, so their advisors can offer very detailed, specialist advice. The range of plan options is high, relative to the industry.

Pros

  • +

    Six plans available

  • +

    Good expert advice

Cons

  • -

    Not many additional benefits

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WellCare Health began operations in 1985 in Tampa, Florida as a Medicaid provider for the State of Florida. They have since grown to become a company with a $17 billion turnover, and now have one of the best Medicare Part D plans currently available. WellCare provides managed care health plans primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug plans, and they service more than 4.4 million members across the United States. 

The company partners with more than 407,000 contracted pharmacies, healthcare institutions and vendors, and it employs more than 8,900 employees.

WellCare have a particularly impressive choice of Medicare prescription drugs plans, with some six different options available to potential customers. These range from basic, entry-level plans with very low monthly premiums to much more robust, comprehensive plans that are suitable for customers with extensive medication needs. 

They have specialist customer service agents who can help formulate the best way forward and which plan to choose for customers that have a long list of medications that are prescribed by different doctors or different medical institutions.

The website is clear, simply laid out and easy to navigate. The quote process is intuitive and doesn’t require much information beyond a zip code. The various plans available in that region are then clearly listed and comparisons can be made. It does not involve any follow-up sales calls or emails from their commercial partners.

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review: Cost

  • Starting at $15.70 per month
  • Going up to $71.60 per month

There are of course some basic discrepancies in prices when looking at quotes for individual Medicare Part D plans dependant on the customer. However, we took as our standard a married, middle-aged man without any pre-existing conditions living in Louisiana. The plans are explained in more detail below, but the quotes we were given were as follows:

The WellCare Wellness Rx plan has an $8 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $435 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $15.70. 

The WellCare Value Script Rx plan has a $5 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $435 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $18.00. 

The WellCare Medicare Rx Select plan has a $15 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $385 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $21.40. 

The WellCare Classic Rx plan has a $1 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $435 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $27.30. 

The WellCare Medicare Rx Saver plan has a $2 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $435 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $32.20. 

The WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus plan has a $10 co-pay on generic drugs, and a $0 in-network deductible. The monthly premium quoted was $71.60. 

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review

(Image credit: WellCare)

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review: Products

  • Choice of six products
  • $0 in-network deductible option
WellCare Health Plans: Key features

Extensive drug coverage Thousands of medications covered

Large pharmacy network Nationwide coverage, over 60,000 in-network pharmacies

Low co-pays From $0 for Tier 1 and 2 drugs

WellCare Health Plans has six Medicare Part D plans that are available to potential customers, each with a premium option, varying levels of benefits, deductibles and coverage to appeal to a wide range of potential customers. The details of each plan are clearly laid out on the WellCare website, and there is a simple path to finding out which plan would be the most suitable for a customer’s specific requirements.  

WellCare Classic (PDP) and WellCare Medicare Rx Saver (PDP) plans typically work best for members who take prescriptions occasionally or only a few each month and who are also looking for a plan with a low premium. These plans also works well for members that have Extra Help. 

WellCare Medicare Rx Value Plus (PDP) plan typically works best for members who take several prescriptions each month and are looking for no deductible. 

WellCare Value Script (PDP), WellCare Medicare Rx Select (PDP) and WellCare Wellness Rx (PDP) plans typically work best for members who don't have very many prescriptions and are looking for a plan with a low premium. These plans also have no deductible on medications in Tiers 1 and 2. 

To join any of the plans, customers must be entitled to Medicare Part A, and/or be enrolled in Medicare Part B and live in the WellCare Health service area.

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review: Features

  • Good expert/specialist advice
  • Wide range of plans
  • Large network of pharmacies
Other Medicare Part D plans to consider

You may want to consider other Medicare prescription drugs plans that we have reviewed, including AARP MedicareRx, Cigna-HealthSpring Medicare Rx and Humana Medicare Rx.

Good expert/specialist advice

Since WellCare Health Plans focus almost exclusively on government-sponsored healthcare plans such as Medicare and Medicaid, their customer service agents are very well versed in these plans and can offer specialist advice that not all Part D vendors can. 

Wide range of plans

There are six Part D plans offered by WellCare Health, a higher number than most of their peers and an excellent range offering everything from a basic, entry-level plan to a comprehensive plan with panoramic coverage.  

Large network of pharmacies

WellCare Health Plans has more than 60,000 in-network pharmacy partners across all 50 states, meaning that they offer excellent nationwide coverage. Large companies such as Walmart are part of their preferred providers.

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review: What users say

  • BBB rating of A+

WellCare Health is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau but it does receive an A+ rating with the organization. 

WellCare Health Plans Medicare review: Verdict

WellCare Health Plans are a government-sponsored healthcare plan specialist, and so they are a great resource for weighing up which Medicare Part D plan might be suitable for any potential customer. 

Since these types of plan are definitely their focus, their customer service agents are equipped to give detailed and specialist knowledge, putting them in a relatively good position compared to many of their peers in the marketplace. 

They have an excellent spectrum of available plans, ranging from very affordable entry-level, basic plans to good value, comprehensive plans for customers with extensive medication needs. 

We can help you with your other insurance needs too, including finding the best health insurance companies and the best life insurance, as well as the best dental insurance provider for you and your family. If you have ongoing vision care needs, we have also reviewed the best vision care insurance available now. 

Paul Oswell

Paul Oswell is a US-based freelance writer for the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times and more. While working for Top Ten Reviews, Paul has written about a broad range of subjects, but many of these concern money and tax. You'll find his bylines on articles from tax software to payday loans to create your own Will software.