Devoted Health is the odd one out in Medicare Advantage. It is small, privately held, less than a decade old, and it scores higher on CMS quality ratings than almost anyone. It is also unavailable to most of the country.
Both halves of that matter if you are trying to spend less. A high-rated $0 premium plan is genuinely worth having. It is also worth about nothing to you if Devoted does not operate in your county, and Devoted reaches 999 counties out of roughly 3,100. This page uses the CMS 2026 landscape file, which carries per-plan premiums, caps, drug deductibles, and star ratings for every county in the country, plus Devoted’s own published plan documents.
What Is Devoted Health Medicare Advantage
Devoted Health sells Part C plans, meaning private coverage that replaces Original Medicare. Medicare pays Devoted a fixed monthly amount per member, and Devoted takes on your Part A and Part B benefits plus, on most plans, Part D drugs and extras Medicare never covered. Our Medicare parts explained guide covers the underlying structure.
What separates Devoted from the carriers on this site is ownership and scale. CMS lists Devoted Health, Inc. as its own parent organization in the 2026 landscape file, not a division of anyone else, and it runs through state subsidiaries like Devoted Health Plan of Florida and Devoted Health Insurance Company of Texas. It is a fraction of the size of the leaders. KFF puts total Medicare Advantage enrollment at 35.2 million in 2026, with UnitedHealth Group at 26% and Humana at 20%. Devoted does not register as a percentage point.
It is growing faster than most, though. KFF found that Devoted Health added nearly 258,000 members between March 2025 and March 2026. Kaiser Permanente, which holds 6% of the national market, added about 87,000 in the same window.
The 2026 file shows 427 Devoted plan segments under 42 contracts, across 29 states and 999 counties.
How Devoted’s Plans Work
The plan mix is unusually balanced between network types: 128 HMO, 113 PPO, 70 HMO chronic-condition SNPs, 52 PPO chronic-condition SNPs, 50 HMO dual-eligible SNPs, and 14 PPO dual-eligible SNPs.
That means 186 of 427 plan segments are special needs plans, and most of those are for chronic conditions rather than Medicaid. Devoted’s chronic-condition plans target cardiovascular disorders, chronic heart failure, and diabetes, and they run in 978 counties across all 29 states. Its 64 dual-eligible plans are much narrower, 471 counties in 14 states. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, read dual-eligible special needs plans and check whether Devoted even offers one where you live.
Devoted does not require referrals, even on its HMOs. The 2026 Summary of Benefits for DEVOTED CORE 019 OH (HMO) states in the doctor-visit row: “You do not need a referral to see a specialist.” That is unusual. Most HMO Medicare Advantage plans route you through a primary care gatekeeper.
HMO plans still lock you into the network. The same document says that except in emergency or urgent situations, “we do not cover services by out-of-network providers.”
PPO plans cost surprisingly little more out of network. The DEVOTED CHOICE 003 OH (PPO) document lists a $0 in-network primary care copay against $5 out of network, and $45 for a specialist either way. The catch it spells out is that non-contracted providers can simply decline to treat you outside an emergency, and the combined in-and-out-of-network spending cap is $10,100 against $5,300 in network.
Prior authorization applies. Both Devoted documents mark inpatient hospital, outpatient surgery, imaging, therapy, skilled nursing, ambulance, and Part B drugs with a footnote saying prior authorization may be required. KFF found 99% of all Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans that require it for some services in 2026, so this is the norm, not a Devoted quirk. Read how prior authorization works before you need a procedure.
What It Costs
Every figure below is 2026 plan year data. The ranges come from the CMS landscape file dated March 2, 2026. The two named plans come from Devoted’s own Summary of Benefits PDFs, and their premiums, out-of-pocket caps, and drug deductibles match the CMS file exactly.
| 2026 cost item | Devoted figure or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan premium, individual plans | $0 to $53.70 | 209 of 241 plan segments are $0; median $0 |
| Monthly plan premium, special needs plans | $0 to $43.00 | Median $20; the Part D share is $0 for members with full Extra Help |
| Medicare Part B premium (you always pay this) | $202.90 | Standard 2026 rate, up from $185.00 in 2025 |
| Medicare Part B deductible | $283 | 2026 rate, up from $257 |
| In-network out-of-pocket maximum, individual plans | $2,700 to $9,250 | Median $6,200; $9,250 is the CMS ceiling for 2026 |
| In-network out-of-pocket maximum, special needs plans | $3,000 to $9,250 | Median $7,050 |
| Annual Part D drug deductible | $0 to $615 | Median $605; 15 plans charge nothing, 30 charge the $615 maximum |
| DEVOTED CORE 019 OH (HMO), 23 Ohio counties | $0 premium, $4,900 in-network cap | $0 primary care, $40 specialist, $130 emergency room, $45 urgent care, $175 drug deductible on Tiers 3 to 5 |
| DEVOTED CHOICE 003 OH (PPO), same region | $0 premium, $5,300 in-network cap | $0 primary care in network, $45 specialist, $375 drug deductible, $10,100 combined in-and-out-of-network cap |
A few notes on what the table does not say.
The $0 premium is only the plan’s share. You still owe Medicare $202.90 a month for Part B in 2026, plus the $283 Part B deductible unless the plan absorbs it. That is the single biggest line item for most people, and it is identical no matter which carrier you pick.
The drug deductible is where Devoted looks better than most. Its median individual-plan Part D deductible of $605 is high, but 15 plans charge nothing at all and the two Ohio plans above charge $175 and $375, well under the $615 legal maximum. Both documents also say that if you get Extra Help from Medicare, the deductible is $0. Our Medicare Part D cost guide explains how that stacks with the $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on drugs in 2026, which both Devoted documents confirm.
The out-of-pocket caps are middling. Devoted’s median in-network cap of $6,200 sits above the $5,421 enrollment-weighted national average KFF calculated for 2026, and 37 of its 241 individual plans use the full $9,250 ceiling. The cheap monthly premium does not automatically mean a low ceiling, so check the cap on the specific plan.
Who It’s Good For and Who Should Skip It
A good fit if a Devoted plan in your county carries a 4 or 5 star rating. Quality scores are one of the few things in Medicare that are measured consistently, and Devoted’s individual plans average 4.19 stars against a 3.88 national average across all Medicare Advantage plan segments in the 2026 file.
A good fit if you want a PPO without a big out-of-network penalty. A $45 specialist copay whether you stay in network or not is not typical.
A good fit if you have diabetes or a cardiovascular condition. Devoted has built 122 chronic-condition special needs plan segments around exactly those diagnoses, in 978 counties. Nationally, KFF found C-SNP enrollment jumped 45% between 2025 and 2026.
Skip it if Devoted is not in your county. 999 counties is real coverage, but it is a minority of the country, and Devoted’s own service area page describes coverage in metro clusters rather than whole states.
Be careful about the star rating you think you are getting. Devoted’s high average is concentrated: three contracts covering Florida, North Carolina, Texas and part of Iowa carry a 5-star overall rating and account for 123 of its 258 rated plan segments. Everywhere else Devoted rates 3.0 to 4.5, and 20 of its 42 contracts have no rating at all because they are too new to score. The brand average is not your plan’s rating.
Think twice if you travel or split the year between states. Devoted’s HMO plans cover nothing out of network except emergencies, and the service area is county-based.
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare Plus Medigap
| Devoted Health Medicare Advantage | Original Medicare plus Medigap | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 to $53.70 plan premium plus $202.90 Part B | $202.90 Part B plus a Medigap premium set by the insurer |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit | Yes, $2,700 to $9,250 in network | No federal limit, but Medigap absorbs most cost sharing |
| Where you can use it | 999 counties in 29 states | Any provider that accepts Medicare, nationwide |
| Referral to a specialist | Not required, per Devoted’s own plan documents | Not required in most cases |
| Prior authorization | Flagged on most major services in Devoted plan documents | Not required in most cases |
| Drug coverage | Built in on 415 of 427 plans, $0 to $615 deductible | Separate Part D plan required |
| Dental, vision, hearing | Included on most plans, as allowances you claim back | Not covered |
| Star rating | 4.19 average on individual plans, but 20 of 42 contracts unrated | Not rated this way |
Devoted’s own Summary of Benefits raises the trade-off before you do. Its pre-enrollment checklist says that if you have a Medigap plan, once Medicare Advantage coverage starts “you may want to drop your Medigap policy because you will be paying for coverage you cannot use.”
That is the door that swings one way. You can join Medicare Advantage during any Medicare open enrollment period. Coming back to Original Medicare and buying Medigap later is harder, because the guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting is a six-month window opening the first month you are 65 and enrolled in Part B. After that, most states let insurers price you on health history or turn you down. Our Medicare Advantage versus Medigap comparison, Medicare Advantage versus Original Medicare explainer, and Medigap cost breakdown lay out both sides.
The Bottom Line
Devoted is the rare Medicare Advantage carrier where the quality data actually supports the marketing, and where the plan documents are short and readable instead of buried. If it operates in your county and the local contract carries 4 or 5 stars, it belongs on your shortlist.
Do three things before you enroll. Confirm Devoted covers your county, not just your state. Look up the star rating on the specific contract number, since a fifth of Devoted’s contracts have no rating and the 5-star ones are clustered in four states. And check the Part D deductible and the out-of-pocket cap on the exact plan, because they range from $0 to $615 and $2,700 to $9,250 across Devoted’s own lineup.
One timing note. Everything on this page is 2026 plan year data. CMS said in its July 28, 2026 Part D bid announcement that it will release the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D landscape in mid to late September 2026, ahead of the annual enrollment period running October 15 to December 7, 2026, and Devoted’s plan documents warn that premiums and copays may change on January 1, 2027. Compare Devoted against Humana, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and Wellcare in your county. If money is tight, check Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help first, since those cut the Part B premium and drug costs you owe under any plan.