HealthPartners Medicare Advantage Plans 2027

Watch the second number on the PPO plans. Every HealthPartners plan has two caps: one for in-network care and a higher one for in-network and out-of-network combined. In Wisconsin that combined figure is $10,000 on both plans, nearly double the in-network cap. If you plan to use the out-of-network freedom, that is the number that describes your real exposure.

Every plan includes the same base set. SilverSneakers fitness, $0 routine vision and hearing exams, hearing aids through TruHearing, a 24/7 nurse line, worldwide emergency and urgent care, and in-network cost sharing for up to nine months of travel inside the United States. That travel benefit is unusually generous and worth knowing about if you winter somewhere warm.

HOW A COST PLAN DIFFERS

It works alongside Original Medicare rather than replacing it. Go out of network and your Original Medicare benefits take over, and you pay Medicare’s own coinsurance and deductibles. You can drop it and return to Original Medicare at any time, not just during an enrollment period. You can enrol with Part B alone, where Medicare Advantage requires both Part A and Part B. And drug coverage is optional rather than built in.

One trap in the enrollment rules. A medical-only Cost plan can be joined any time of year while it is open. A Cost plan that includes Part D can only be joined during the Annual Enrollment Period, your Initial Enrollment Period, or a special enrollment period.

YOUR 2027 CHECKLIST

Five steps before you pick a Journey plan

Missed December 7? If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, 2027, lets you switch to another Medicare Advantage plan once, or drop back to Original Medicare.

➤  What Medicare Advantage plans does HealthPartners offer for 2027?

For 2026 HealthPartners sold four Journey PPO plans in Minnesota — Smart, Pace, Stride and Steady — and two PPO plans in northeast Wisconsin, Cedar and Birch. All six include Part D drug coverage. The 2027 lineup becomes viewable on October 1, 2026 and may change.

➤  Does HealthPartners have a $0 premium Medicare Advantage plan?

Yes. In 2026, Journey Smart and Journey Pace were $0 in the Twin Cities, and both Cedar and Birch were $0 in Wisconsin. Journey Smart went further and paid back $50.80 to $75 a month toward your Part B premium, worth $609.60 to $900 a year. The $0 plans carried the highest out-of-pocket maximums, so compare that cap alongside the premium.

➤  Are HealthPartners plans HMO or PPO?

All PPO. Every 2026 HealthPartners Medicare Advantage plan in both Minnesota and Wisconsin was a PPO, so no plan required a referral to see a specialist and all allowed out-of-network care at a higher cost share. That is unusual for a regional carrier, most of which lead with HMO plans.

➤  What counties does HealthPartners cover?

The Journey plans cover 22 Minnesota counties across the Twin Cities and central Minnesota, including Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Stearns and Wright. Cedar and Birch cover northeast Wisconsin. Freedom WI Medicare Cost plans cover seven western Wisconsin counties: Burnett, Douglas, Dunn, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix and Washburn.

➤  What is a HealthPartners Medicare Cost plan?

Cost plans are an older product type that most carriers no longer sell. HealthPartners still offers Freedom WI Cost plans in seven western Wisconsin counties. They work alongside Original Medicare rather than replacing it, so out-of-network care falls back to your Original Medicare benefits. You can leave one at any time, and you can enrol with Part B alone.

➤  Do HealthPartners plans include dental?

Yes, and the allowances are large. In 2026, Journey Stride, Pace and Smart each carried a $2,000 dental allowance, while Journey Steady, Cedar and Birch carried $1,000. Additional dental coverage was available to buy on every plan. 2027 benefits may differ, and not all plans offer all benefits.