Allwell Medicare Advantage Review: Higher Overall Rates but Good Service
Allwell Medicare Advantage plans rate well for customer service but can be expensive. Access to Allwell coverage is limited and plan options are inconsistent across states.
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Editor's Rating
Allwell Medicare Advantage plans are good for people who want quality service but not for those seeking affordable plan options.
Depending on where they live, Allwell customers can get a plan costing between $0 and $286 per month. But while $0 premium policies are available, customers as a whole are not happy with the cost of their Allwell plans.
Allwell customers are generally happy with their service based on an average Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rating of 3.5 of 5 stars. But Allwell did not score well with other entities like the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Better Business Bureau.
Pros and cons
Pros
Lots of extra benefits
Online experience is state-specific
Cons
Satisfaction data is not available
Only available in 16 states
Allwell Medicare Advantage insurance: Our thoughts
Allwell Medicare Advantage members are generally happy with the company's customer service but not with plan costs. In fact, cost was the main reason customers dropped their Allwell coverage.
Allwell rates range from $0 to $286 per month, with at least one $0 plan sold in each state where the company does business. But in some areas, the only premium-free options are special needs plans. Most Medicare enrollees in those areas don't have a no-cost Allwell plan to choose from.
While the most common reason for leaving Allwell was cost, only a small portion of customers canceled due to servicing issues, indicating that Allwell provides a positive overall customer experience.
Allwell Medicare plan options
Allwell offers several Medicare Advantage plans (also called Medicare Part C plans), including HMOs, PPOs and two kinds of special needs plans: Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs) and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). Plan availability varies by location.
- HMO: With an HMO, you have one doctor coordinating your nonemergency care with specialists and other in-network health care providers.
- PPO: PPOs are typically more expensive than HMOs. You don't need a primary care doctor and are free to use out-of-network providers with a PPO, although you'll pay more for those services.
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D-SNP: Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans coordinate with Medicaid to provide health care coverage to people who have both Medicare and Medicaid.
- C-SNP: Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans provide for the unique health needs of people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease.
Allwell does not offer Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans or its own Medicare Part D prescription plans. But you may have access to stand-alone Part D plans through Allwell's affiliation with Wellcare, a Centene company. Available drug plans will appear under "Wellcare" when shopping via an Allwell website or on Medicare.gov.
Allwell medical benefits and member extras
Along with typical hospital and medical benefits, many Allwell plans include extras like an allowance for over-the-counter products and the My Health Pays program. My Health Pays provides financial rewards for healthy behaviors like getting vaccines or preventive tests.
Allwell medical benefits
Allwell member extras
- Annual physicals
- Diagnostic imaging tests such as CT scans and X-rays
- Durable medical equipment
- Emergency ambulance transportation
- Inpatient hospital care
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Mental health treatment
- Preventive care such as vaccines and mammograms
Allwell medical benefits
- Annual physicals
- Diagnostic imaging tests such as CT scans and X-rays
- Durable medical equipment
- Emergency ambulance transportation
- Inpatient hospital care
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Mental health treatment
- Preventive care such as vaccines and mammograms
Allwell member extras
- Dental coverage
- Vision and hearing benefits
- $0 telehealth visits
- Home-delivered meals following a hospitalization
- A quarterly allowance of $450 to spend on over-the-counter products at a drugstore or through Allwell's catalog. (Unused amounts do not carry over to the next quarter.)
- The Silver and Fit exercise and fitness program
- 24-hour nurse hotline
- Transportation to and from medical visits
- My Health Pays
Additional Allwell benefits vary by plan. For example, Allwell C-SNP members receive help with home utility costs, like heat and electricity, and access to concierge services. These are fairly unique benefits to Allwell's C-SNPs, as few other companies offer them.
HMO | PPO | D-SNP | C-SNP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No medical deductible | ||||
| Dental, hearing and prescription | ||||
| Transportation | ||||
| Meals-at-home program | In select plans | |||
| Helper Bees concierge services | ||||
| Utility coverage |
Allwell Medicare Advantage availability and cost comparison
Allwell plans are sold in 16 states, but plan options vary by state, county or even ZIP code. For example, in some areas, Allwell only offers special needs plans, which apply to a small portion of Medicare enrollees.
State | Company name | Average Allwell cost | Average competitor cost | Allwell CMS rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Arizona Complete Health | $18 | $12 | 3.0 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Health & Wellness | $13 | $15 | 3.5 |
| Florida | Sunshine Health | $17 | $8 | 4.0 |
| Georgia | Peach State Health Plan | $0 | $15 | 3.5 |
| Indiana | Managed Health Services (MHS) | $13 | $16 | 3.5 |
| Kansas | Sunflower Health Plan | $143 | $10 | 3.0 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Healthcare Connections | $0 | $14 | N/A |
| Mississippi | Magnolia Health | $0 | $22 | 3.0 |
| Missouri | Home State Health | $16 | $10 | 3.0 |
| Nevada | SilverSummit Healthplan | $15 | $4 | N/A |
| New Mexico | Western Sky Community Care | $18 | $13 | N/A |
| Ohio | Buckeye Health Plan | $9 | $21 | 2.5 |
Monthly costs reflect Medicare Part C plans only. An average Allwell cost of $0 means all plans listed for that state have a $0 premium. A CMS rating of N/A means there is not enough data available for CMS to rate the plan.
Customer reviews and complaints
Allwell largely does not participate in standard industry quality assessments, so little rating information is available. Allwell as a whole received a low score from the Better Business Bureau, and only a few Allwell plans were scored individually by other rating entities.
Better Business Bureau: Allwell received a C+ rating from the Better Business Bureau based on the number of complaints relative to company size and how promptly they are addressed.
NAIC: Allwell as a whole is not rated by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and only two of 16 state-specific companies show NAIC ratings:- Absolute Total Care in South Carolina received an NAIC rating of 1.10. This means that the company received a higher number of complaints relative to its size.
- Superior HealthPlan in Texas has a complaint index of 0.22, showing that fewer complaints were received relative to company size.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allwell the same as Wellcare?
Allwell is now called Wellcare by Allwell. It is one of several Wellcare Medicare Advantage brands owned by Centene Corp.
Is Allwell a Medicare Advantage plan?
Yes, Allwell — also called Wellcare by Allwell — offers Medicare Advantage plans, which are sometimes called
What is Allwell dual Medicare?
Allwell dual Medicare plans, or D-SNPs, are for people entitled to both Medicare and a state Medicaid plan. Under a D-SNP, the state covers some Medicare costs, depending on the state and the member's eligibility.
Sources and methodology
Plan information and comparisons are based on the respective Allwell websites and Medicare.gov data. We obtained rating information from the Better Business Bureau, CMS, the NAIC and the NCQA.
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Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and benefits are offered by these carriers: Aetna Medicare, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross, Aspire Health Plan, Cigna Healthcare, Dean Health Plan, Devoted Health, Florida Blue Medicare, GlobalHealth, Health Care Service Corporation, Healthy Blue, Humana, Molina Healthcare, Mutual of Omaha, Premera Blue Cross, Medica Central Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Simply, UnitedHealthcare, Wellcare and WellPoint.
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