Humana vs. UnitedHealthcare 2024

UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurance company in the U.S. according to market share, followed by Humana in fifth place.¹ But how do these carriers stack up in terms of cost, customer service, market reach and other key criteria? And how do UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans compare to Humana Medicare plans?

Below we break down the comparison between UnitedHealthcare and Humana.

Visit MedicareAdvantage.com

 

If you value plan selection, affordability and member resources, a UnitedHealthcare Medicare plan may be right for you.

Visit Humana-MedicareAdvantage.com

If a wide net of participating providers, high plan quality and strong customer service are important to you, a Humana Medicare plan may be your best choice. 

Humana vs. UnitedHealthcare Product Offerings

UnitedHealthcare and Humana each offer a variety of insurance products including:

• Dental
• Vision
• Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C)
• Medicare Part D prescription drug plans
• Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)

However, Humana stopped selling health insurance plans for individuals and families in 2018. The only way to enroll in an individual non-Medicare Humana health insurance plan now is through an employer. 

UnitedHealthcare continues to offer individual and family plans as well as Medicare insurance plans, and they also provide a number of supplemental policies not sold by Humana such as accident, critical illness, term life and hospital indemnity insurance.  

Advantage: UnitedHealthcare

Markets Served

While the selection of products will vary from one ZIP code to the next, Humana Medicare plans and UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans are both available in areas of all 50 states and Washington D.C. 

Advantage: Tie

Provider Networks

UnitedHealthcare has one of the nation’s largest networks of participating doctors and health care providers with the insurance being accepted by more than 1.3 million physicians.²  

And according to Doctor.com, UnitedHealthcare has around twice as many participating providers than Humana.³   

Advantage: UnitedHealthcare

Financial Ratings

UnitedHealthcare and Humana both maintain strong financial ratings from the nation’s leading credit rating agencies, although UnitedHealthcare's ratings are just slightly higher. 

Both companies have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau but only Humana is officially accredited by the organization. 

Advantage: UnitedHealthcare

Plan Quality Reviews

Every year, Medicare evaluates plans on a 5-star rating scale. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rates all Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan providers according to this scale.

For 2023, UnitedHealthcare received an overall rating of 4.2 stars for its Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage.⁴ That's no doubt impressive, but 96% of Humana Medicare Advantage members are enrolled in a plan of 4 stars or more and 66% are in plans rated at least 4.5 stars.⁵  

Advantage: Humana

Medicare Plan Costs

Comparing Medicare Advantage plan costs between two insurance companies is difficult. There are many variables that can affect a Medicare plan premium, such as the deductible and copayment amounts and the benefits included with the plan.

We recommend comparing plan quotes for a number of different Medicare plans where you live. Depending on where you’re located, you may have access to Humana Medicare plans and UHC Medicare plans that feature benefits not covered by Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B). 

Member Resources

UnitedHealthcare and Humana each provide a number of helpful resources to their respective members. Both companies have an online member portal to review benefits, check on a claim, pay bills, find doctors and pharmacies and more. 

And both companies go the extra mile by providing numerous health programs for members complete with tools, resources and rewards programs for tracking and achieving results, although UnitedHealthcare’s is a bit more robust.

Both companies have mobile apps available to members, with UnitedHealthcare’s receiving slightly higher ratings and reviews from users. 

Advantage: UnitedHealthcare  

Customer Service

UnitedHealthcare and Humana each have dedicated phone hotlines for help with their various insurance products, along with available support via social media. 

Humana supplements its customer service tools with an online support community and a live online chat feature, neither of which are available through UnitedHealthcare. 

Advantage: Humana

If you're ready to compare Medicare Advantage plans where you live, you can find plan benefits and costs online, or you can call to speak with a licensed insurance agent who can help you compare plans.

Helpadvisor.com is owned and operated by Tranzact, the parent company of TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, which is the owner/operator of Medicareadvantage.com and other websites mentioned on HelpAdvisor and which has a financial relationship with some of the carriers listed on HelpAdvisor. This may influence which products we write about, but HelpAdvisor maintains editorial independence, and our opinions and evaluations are our own.