Healthspring Medicare Advantage Plans 2027

Your coverage was not cancelled. Benefits, provider networks, and doctors carried over through the transition. A change in ownership does not by itself change what your plan covers.

Your ID card changed. Cards issued for 2026 and later carry the HealthSpring name. If your provider’s office says they do not recognize the card, the answer is that HealthSpring is the former Cigna Medicare plan.

The Cigna name still exists elsewhere. The Cigna Group continues to operate its commercial and employer health insurance business. Only the Medicare side — Advantage, Part D, and Medicare Supplement — moved to HCSC.

You still have to review your plan every year. The rebrand is not the reason to shop, but 2027 plan details are. Read the Annual Notice of Change that arrives each September — benefits, networks, and costs change annually regardless of who owns the plan.

HealthSpring is not a small operation wearing a new name. Its parent, Health Care Service Corporation, is the largest customer-owned health insurer in the country and the company behind Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Montana.

The footprint number to hold onto is 948 counties. That is wide reach, but it is roughly 30% of U.S. counties — so availability is the first thing to check, not the last. A plan that looks strong nationally may simply not be sold where you live.

Four separate product lines, each with its own footprint. People usually mean Medicare Advantage when they say HealthSpring, but the Part D and Medicare Supplement businesses reach considerably further.

Within Medicare Advantage, two plan names come up most often:

This is where HealthSpring makes its clearest case. Its plans are priced aggressively even by Medicare Advantage standards, where low premiums are already the norm.

Before the numbers, an important caveat. Carriers file their 2027 premiums and benefits with CMS during the summer, and plan-level details for your county do not become public until October 1, 2026.

Everything below reflects the 2026 plan year — the most recent data available — and should be read as a guide to how HealthSpring has priced its plans historically, not as a quote for 2027.

With that said, low premiums have been HealthSpring’s clearest selling point.

For 2026, HealthSpring plans averaged about $4 per month, with PPO plans averaging roughly $1 — against an approximately $15 average supplemental premium across all Medicare Advantage enrollees.

A PPO averaging less than a comparable HMO is unusual, since PPOs normally carry a premium for the added flexibility.

Be careful how much weight you give any of this. Premium is the smallest number on a Medicare Advantage plan and the least predictive of what a hard year costs. The figures that actually decide your exposure are the maximum out-of-pocket limit and the drug tiers your own prescriptions fall into — and those, like premiums, are set fresh each year.

Based on HealthSpring’s 2026 lineup, these benefits were common. Availability and dollar amounts vary by plan and county, and not every plan offers every benefit.

Here is the honest weak spot. CMS star ratings are the closest thing Medicare has to an independent report card, and HealthSpring sits slightly below the national average.

A 3.5 average is middle of the pack, not a red flag. But it does mean that if CMS quality ratings are your deciding factor, HealthSpring is not the carrier that wins on that measure. Aetna is materially stronger there.

One piece of context that cuts in HealthSpring’s favor: star ratings are built from data collected a year or more before they publish. The 2026 ratings largely reflect performance under Cigna’s ownership.

Whether HCSC moves that number will not show up until later rating cycles. Individual contracts also vary — check the rating on the specific plan in your county rather than the company average.

CMS finalized the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D rule on April 2, 2026. Plan-level details for your county publish October 1, 2026 — but the limits every HealthSpring plan has to operate inside are already set.

Those MOOP figures are ceilings, not price tags. Carriers set each plan’s actual cap at or below them, and the lowest CMS tier permits caps as low as $4,450 in network. On a True Choice PPO, remember both limits apply — the in-network cap and the higher combined cap that counts out-of-network care.

Yes. HealthSpring is the former Cigna Healthcare Medicare business. Health Care Service Corporation completed the purchase on March 19, 2025, and the plans were rebranded to HealthSpring for the 2026 plan year. There are no Cigna-branded Medicare Advantage plans for 2027.

No. Benefits, provider networks, and doctors carried over through the ownership change. Members received new HealthSpring-branded ID cards starting with 2026 coverage. Plans do change every year in the normal course, so review your Annual Notice of Change each September — but the rebrand itself did not alter coverage.

Health Care Service Corporation, the largest customer-owned health insurer in the United States with about 26.5 million members. HCSC is also the company behind Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Montana.

HealthSpring offers Medicare Advantage plans in 30 states plus Washington, D.C., covering 948 counties. Its standalone Part D drug plans reach 48 states plus Puerto Rico, and Medicare Supplement plans are sold in 48 states. Because Medicare Advantage is sold county by county, being in one of the 30 states does not guarantee a plan is available in your county.

HealthSpring plans average about $4 per month, and its PPO plans average roughly $1 — well under the approximately $15 average across all Medicare Advantage enrollees. $0 premium plans are available in most states where HealthSpring operates. You still pay your Medicare Part B premium separately, though some plans give part of it back.

HealthSpring averages 3.5 out of 5 stars, slightly below the national average of about 3.7. That is middle of the pack rather than poor. Ratings are built from data collected a year or more earlier, so current ratings largely reflect performance under Cigna’s ownership. Individual contracts vary, so check the rating on the specific plan offered in your county.

HealthSpring Preferred plans are HMOs — you use a network, pick a primary care doctor, and usually need a referral to see a specialist, in exchange for lower cost sharing. HealthSpring True Choice plans are PPOs, which cover out-of-network care at a higher cost share and generally do not require referrals. PPOs also carry a second, higher spending cap that counts out-of-network care.

Routine vision and hearing coverage is included on every HealthSpring Medicare Advantage plan, and dental is included on most. Allowance amounts vary widely by county and plan, so check the specific plan’s Summary of Benefits rather than assuming a dollar figure.

It is a plan-issued card that carries preventive care incentives — up to $200 on most plans and up to $500 on Special Needs Plans. Under a CMS rule taking effect in 2027, allowances on plan-issued cards no longer carry over between plan years, and the card must verify eligibility electronically at the point of sale. Use the allowance within the period it is issued.

The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, 2026, with coverage starting January 1, 2027. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, 2027 allows one additional switch. If you are new to Medicare, your Initial Enrollment Period spans the three months before through three months after your 65th birthday month.