United States · Medicare Advantage · New York

Which Medicare Advantage Plans Are Best in New York for 2027?

By Best Worst Insurance Editorial TeamUpdated October 18, 2026

New York is one of the worst-rated Medicare Advantage markets in the country for 2027. Of the 2,129,203 people in rated contracts there in October 2026, 45% are in one rated four stars or more, the fourth-lowest share of the 50 states and territories we ranked ^[1,2,3]. The largest single reason is Healthfirst's H3359, the state's biggest contract with 358,382 New York members, which fell a full star from 4.5 to 3.5. Aetna's H3312, Humana's H5970 and two Wellcare contracts sit at 3 stars. The best-rated large option is Aetna's H5522 at 4.5.

Best Worst Insurance Key Takeaways

45% of New York's 2,129,203 Medicare Advantage members are in a four-star contract or better, fourth worst of 50 ^[1,2,3].
Healthfirst H3359, the largest contract in the state, fell from 4.5 to 3.5 with 358,382 New York members ^[1,2,3].
Aetna H3312, Humana H5970 and Wellcare H5599 are the largest contracts at 3 stars ^[1,2,3].
Aetna H5522, UnitedHealthcare H2001 and Independent Health H3362 are the best-rated large contracts, at 4.5 ^[1,2,3].
CDPHP H3388 also lost a full star, from 4.5 to 3.5 ^[1,2,3].

How we know: Members by state come from CMS's October 2026 enrollment by state, county and contract (the abridged file, which leaves out county rows of ten or fewer people); ratings are CMS's 2027 overall Star Ratings, published 8 October 2026. A contract's rating is national, so the stars here are the same as in any other state; what is New York-specific is which contracts people here are in. These are 2026 contracts carrying their 2027 ratings, and what each sells in your county for 2027 is on Medicare Plan Finder. Tables come out of a committed script. Full methodology →

The fifteen Medicare Advantage contracts with the most members in New York

Members in New York only, October 2026, with each contract's 2027 rating ^[1,2,3].

Brand	Contract	2027 stars	Change from 2026	Members in New York
Healthfirst Medicare Plan	H3359	3.5	4.5 → 3.5	358,382
Aetna Medicare	H5521	4	4.5 → 4	182,527
Excellus Health Plan, Inc	H3351	4	no change	172,012
UnitedHealthcare	H3387	4	no change	149,009
Aetna Medicare	H5522	4.5	no change	118,392
Aetna Medicare	H3312	3	no change	104,481
UnitedHealthcare	H3379	3.5	no change	101,905
Humana	H5970	3	no change	87,550
UnitedHealthcare	H2001	4.5	no change	86,189
Excellus Health Plan, Inc	H3335	3.5	no change	85,387
VNS Health Medicare	H5549	4	3.5 → 4	73,333
CDPHP Medicare Advantage	H3388	3.5	4.5 → 3.5	69,783
Wellcare	H5599	3	no change	68,614
Wellcare	H2775	3	no change	51,847
UnitedHealthcare	H3418	3	3.5 → 3	46,710

1. New York's Medicare Advantage market

New York has 53 rated contracts with members, and the five largest hold 46% of them ^[1,2,3]. Healthfirst's H3359 is the biggest, followed by Aetna's H5521, Excellus's H3351 and UnitedHealthcare's H3387, all at 4 stars.

2. Why New York ranks near the bottom

Two large contracts each lost a full star: Healthfirst's H3359 and CDPHP's H3388, both from 4.5 to 3.5 ^[1,2,3]. On top of that, New York has an unusual number of big contracts at 3 stars: Aetna's H3312 (104,481 members), Humana's H5970 (87,550), Wellcare's H5599 and H2775, and UnitedHealthcare's H3418. Healthfirst is also among the insurers with the fewest members in a four-star plan nationally ^[1,4].

3. The best-rated options

Aetna's H5522 (118,392 New York members), UnitedHealthcare's H2001 and Independent Health's H3362 are rated 4.5 ^[1,2,3]. VNS Health's H5549 rose to 4. For the five-star contracts licensed in New York, see the five-star plans.

4. The weakest

The five largest 3-star contracts above are the ones to compare against before renewing. National context: the worst Medicare Advantage plans.

Other states: Florida, Texas, Georgia, California. Where New York sits among all states: the state ranking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Medicare Advantage plan in New York for 2027?

Among contracts with at least 10,000 New York members, Aetna H5522, UnitedHealthcare H2001 and Independent Health H3362 are rated 4.5 ^[1,2,3]. Three five-star contracts are licensed in New York, all flagged as offering Special Needs Plans ^[1,5].

Why are New York's Medicare Advantage ratings so low?

Its largest contract, Healthfirst H3359, fell from 4.5 to 3.5, CDPHP's H3388 did the same, and several large contracts from Aetna, Humana and Wellcare are at 3 stars ^[1,2,3].

Is Healthfirst a good Medicare Advantage plan?

For 2027 Healthfirst's main contract, H3359, is rated 3.5 stars, down from 4.5, and none of Healthfirst's members nationally are in a four-star contract ^[1,4].

Sources

Every figure on this page is footnoted to one of the primary documents below. Reliability tiers: A = regulator, court or filed document; B = reputable publisher or carrier official page; C = user-generated (reported by users).

1.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — 2027 Part C and D Star Ratings data tables (Summary Ratings, Low Performing and High Performing Contracts, Domain and Measure Stars), 8 October 2026. https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/2027-star-ratings-data-tables-oct-8-2026.zipTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-10-08 · Accessed 2026-10-18
2.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — 2026 Part C and D Star Ratings data tables, Summary Ratings as updated 22 July 2026. https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/2026-star-ratings-data-tables.zipTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-07-22 · Accessed 2026-10-18
3.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Monthly MA Enrollment by State/County/Contract, October 2026 (abridged version, rows of 10 or fewer enrollees excluded). https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/ma-enrollment-state-county-contract-october-2026-abridged-version-exclude-rows-10-or-less-enrollees.zipTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-10-15 · Accessed 2026-10-18
4.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Monthly Enrollment by Contract, October 2026. https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/monthly-enrollment-contract-october-2026.zipTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-10-15 · Accessed 2026-10-18
5.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — MA and Part D State Service Area, October 2026. https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/state-service-area-october-2026.zipTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-10-15 · Accessed 2026-10-18