There are 24 Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans with prescription drug coverage in New Haven County for 2026, including 16 with a $0 monthly plan premium. The average consolidated premium is about $25.01, the average in-network out-of-pocket maximum is $7,075 (up to $9,250), and 17% of plans carry a CMS Overall Star Rating of 4 stars or higher. Our office is right here in Milford, and we help New Haven County neighbors compare these plans in plain language.
Every non-SNP MA-PD plan CMS lists for New Haven County this year, with its CMS Overall Star Rating, monthly consolidated (Part C and D) premium, in-network out-of-pocket maximum, Part D deductible and CMS plan ID.
| Plan | Type | CMS stars | Premium/mo | In-network MOOP | Part D deductible | CMS plan ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarePartners Access (PPO) | PPO | 4★ | $0 | $8,500 | $550 | H0342_001 |
| Wellcare Simple (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $9,250 | $615 | H0712_019 |
| Wellcare Giveback (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $9,250 | $615 | H0712_032 |
| HumanaChoice Giveback H5216-138 (PPO) | PPO | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,500 | $395 | H5216_138 |
| HumanaChoice H5216-289 (PPO) | PPO | 3.5★ | $0 | $5,200 | $400 | H5216_289 |
| CarePartners of CT CareAdvantage Preferred (HMO) | HMO | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $450 | H5273_001 |
| Aetna Medicare Elite (PPO) | PPO | 4.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $615 | H5521_157 |
| Aetna Medicare Elite Extra (PPO) | PPO | 4.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $615 | H5521_352 |
| Aetna Medicare Signature (PPO) | PPO | 4.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $615 | H5521_446 |
| Aetna Medicare Elite (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $615 | H5793_010 |
| HealthSpring True Choice (PPO) | PPO | 3★ | $0 | $6,800 | $250 | H7849_148 |
| UHC Medicare Advantage CT-0003 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,700 | $355 | H0755_033 |
| Wellcare Simple Open (PPO) | PPO | 3.5★ | $0 | $9,250 | $615 | H1914_001 |
| Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) | PPO | 3.5★ | $0 | $9,250 | $615 | H1914_002 |
| ConnectiCare Passage Plan 1 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $200 | H3528_010 |
| ConnectiCare Choice Plan 3 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $0 | $6,750 | $225 | H3528_014 |
| ConnectiCare Flex Plan 2 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $119 | $6,750 | $200 | H3528_015 |
| ConnectiCare Choice Plan 1 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $162 | $4,150 | $200 | H3528_016 |
| HumanaChoice H5216-288 (PPO) | PPO | 3.5★ | $18.20 | $5,900 | $275 | H5216_288 |
| UHC Medicare Advantage CT-0002 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $39 | $6,400 | $355 | H0755_031 |
| ConnectiCare Flex Plan 3 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $49 | $6,750 | $185 | H3528_011 |
| Anthem Medicare Advantage (HMO) | HMO | 3.5★ | $63 | $9,250 | $215 | H5854_019 |
| Aetna Medicare Signature (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $72 | $6,750 | $615 | H5793_001 |
| UHC Medicare Advantage CT-0001 (HMO-POS) | HMO-POS | 3.5★ | $78 | $5,900 | $355 | H0755_030 |
How the 24 MA-PD plans in New Haven County break down by CMS Overall Star Rating for 2026.
| CMS Overall Star Rating | Plans | Share of plans |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5 stars | 3 | 12% |
| 4 stars | 1 | 4% |
| 3.5 stars | 19 | 79% |
| 3 stars | 1 | 4% |
Medicare-certified hospitals in and around New Haven County, with their CMS Overall Hospital Star Rating. Confirm a plan’s network includes your preferred hospital before enrolling.
| Hospital | City | CMS stars |
|---|---|---|
| Yale New Haven Hospital | New Haven | 5★ |
| Griffin Hospital | Derby | 4★ |
| MidState Medical Center | Meriden | 4★ |
| Saint Mary's Hospital | Waterbury | 3★ |
| Waterbury Hospital | Waterbury | 2★ |
| West Haven VA Medical Center | West Haven | 3★ |
You must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B to join a Medicare Advantage plan. You can enroll with a licensed agent, directly with the plan, or at medicare.gov.
CMS lists 24 Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD) in New Haven County for 2026, including 16 with a $0 monthly plan premium.
Yes. 16 of the 24 MA-PD plans in New Haven County have a $0 monthly plan premium for 2026. A $0 plan premium does not mean $0 cost, you still pay your Medicare Part B premium and any plan copays or coinsurance.
About $7,075 in network, up to $9,250 for 2026. Once you reach your plan’s in-network out-of-pocket maximum, the plan pays 100% of covered Part A and Part B services for the rest of the year.
Major Medicare-certified hospitals include Yale New Haven Hospital (New Haven, 5-star CMS rating), Griffin Hospital (Derby, 4-star CMS rating), MidState Medical Center (Meriden, 4-star CMS rating), Saint Mary's Hospital (Waterbury, 3-star CMS rating).
During your Initial Enrollment Period around your 65th birthday, the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7), the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31), or a Special Enrollment Period if you qualify.
Sources. Plan counts, premiums, in-network out-of-pocket maximums, Part D deductibles and CMS Overall Star Ratings come from the CMS Medicare Advantage / Part D Landscape and Star Ratings files for contract year 2026 (cms.gov), for New Haven County, CT, covering non-SNP MA-PD plans. Hospital CMS Overall Star Ratings come from CMS Hospital Compare / Provider Data (data.cms.gov). Averages are computed across the 24 MA-PD plans in the county. Data accessed July 29, 2026.
TSM Life & Health is an independent, licensed insurance agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to the plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. We are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government, the federal Medicare program, or CMS. Verify current plan details with a licensed agent before enrolling.
Most people in New Haven County get Medicare in one of three ways. Here is how the parts fit together so you can compare them with confidence.
| Coverage path | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Original Medicare | Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical) from the federal government. Covers the essentials of your care. | No built-in drug coverage and no yearly out-of-pocket cap. Many people add a Part D drug plan and a Medigap policy. |
| Medicare Advantage (Part C) | Bundles Part A and Part B, and usually Part D drug coverage, through a private plan. | Often adds extra benefits and includes a yearly out-of-pocket maximum. Care is coordinated through a plan network. |
| Medicare Part D | Prescription drug coverage offered by private plans. | Can pair with Original Medicare or be built into a Medicare Advantage plan. |
TSM is an independent agency and does not offer every plan available in your area.
Timing matters with Medicare. These are the main windows to sign up or make a change.
| Enrollment period | When it happens | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment Period | The 7 months around your 65th birthday: the 3 months before, your birthday month, and the 3 months after. | Your first opportunity to enroll in Medicare. |
| General Enrollment Period | January 1 to March 31. | Sign up if you missed your Initial Enrollment Period; coverage starts the month after you enroll. |
| Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) | October 15 to December 7. | Join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan for the coming year. |
| Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment | January 1 to March 31. | Change Medicare Advantage plans once, or return to Original Medicare. |
Special Enrollment Periods may also apply after a qualifying event, such as losing employer coverage or moving out of your plan's service area.
You may be eligible for Medicare if any of the following apply to you:
Statewide figures for Connecticut, shown here alongside the county-level plan tables above.
Sources: CMS Medicare Advantage / Part D Landscape files, contract year 2026, Connecticut statewide (distinct plans counted across all counties). Accessed 2026-07-31.
We do not offer every plan available in your area.
Medicare is usually the reason people call, but it’s rarely the only thing on the kitchen table. We’re an independent agency, so we compare across carriers rather than representing one — and a fair number of these conversations end with us telling someone that what they already have is the right fit.
Not sure which of these applies to you? That’s a normal place to start. Book a free consultation or call 203-951-0339 and ask one question — that is allowed.
You will probably recognize yourself in one of these. Each one starts in a different place, so each one gets a different first conversation.
There are three shopping bags of mail on the table, every plan claims to be free, and you’d like to keep your cardiologist. We start with your doctors and your prescriptions, then look at the plans — not the other way around.
Start with MedicareYou’re the one reading small print at 11pm, wondering whether the postcard that looks like a Medicare card is a scam. Bring us the mail. We’ll tell you what’s real, and you can put us on speakerphone with your mother.
See how we workCOBRA quoted more than the mortgage payment and you’ve got a few years to get to Medicare. We help you think through the income estimate the Marketplace runs on, and set the calendar so you land on Medicare at 65 without a gap or a penalty.
Read the ACA guideSize it before you shop it — debt, income to replace, mortgage, education, minus what you already have. Then match the tool: term for the years with a mortgage and children in the house, a smaller permanent policy for what never expires.
See life insuranceNone of these are dramatic enough to notice in the mail. All three show up later — at the pharmacy counter, at the front desk, or in a monthly check that can’t be changed.
Working past 65 does not always let you delay Medicare. Whether you can wait depends on the size of your employer and whether the coverage counts as creditable. Nothing that arrives in the mail tells you which case you’re in, and the penalties for guessing wrong are added to your premium for as long as you hold the coverage. Here is how the enrollment windows actually work.
The higher earner’s Social Security decision is really the survivor’s decision. When one spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two checks — not both. So the higher earner’s claiming age sets the income the widow or widower lives on, potentially for decades. It’s the single most expensive thing to get wrong, and the easiest to miss. We walk through 62 versus 67 versus 70 here.
“Keep what I have” is one of the options being compared, not the default. Plans change every year — premiums, formularies, networks, the out-of-pocket maximum — and so does your life. Once a year we re-run your drug list and your doctors against the plans we offer in your area. If the plan you have is still the right one, that’s what we tell you, and it costs nothing either way. That yearly review is the part of the relationship that matters most.
Happy to look at any of this with you, at your pace. Our office is at 479 New Haven Avenue in Milford, Connecticut, and a real person answers the phone Monday to Friday 9–6 and Saturday 10–2. Get in touch.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), to get information on all of your options. TSM Life & Health is a licensed independent insurance agency and is not connected with, affiliated with, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the federal Medicare program, the Social Security Administration, or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This is a solicitation for insurance; a licensed insurance agent may contact you. Product availability and benefits vary by state and carrier, and all guarantees are backed solely by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. This page is general educational information only and is not insurance, tax, legal, or investment advice.
Tell us your doctors and prescriptions and we will help you match a plan, at no cost and no pressure.