United States · Medicare Advantage · Texas

Which Medicare Advantage Plans Are Best in Texas for 2027?

By Best Worst Insurance Editorial TeamUpdated October 18, 2026

Texas sits in the middle of the country on Medicare Advantage quality. Of 2,706,696 people in rated contracts there in October 2026, 72% are in one rated four stars or more for 2027 ^[1,2,3]. UnitedHealthcare is the biggest presence, with four of the six largest contracts, and its H2001 is rated 4.5. The headline fall is HealthSpring's H4513, the third-largest contract in Texas with 226,650 members there, which dropped a full star to 3.5. Humana moved the other way, with H0028 jumping from 3.5 to 4.5.

Best Worst Insurance Key Takeaways

72% of Texas's 2,706,696 Medicare Advantage members are in a four-star contract or better ^[1,2,3].
UnitedHealthcare H2001 (4.5 stars, 326,769 Texas members) is the best-rated of the large contracts, with Humana's H0028 and H4461 also at 4.5 ^[1,2,3].
HealthSpring H4513 fell from 4.5 to 3.5 with 226,650 Texas members ^[1,2,3].
UnitedHealthcare H1278 is the largest Texas contract at 3 stars, with 111,973 members, down from 3.5 ^[1,2,3].
Three five-star contracts are licensed in Texas: Clover Health H5141 and UnitedHealthcare H0710 and H5652 ^[1,4].

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 Texas-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 Texas

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

Brand	Contract	2027 stars	Change from 2026	Members in Texas
UnitedHealthcare	H0609	4	4.5 → 4	376,658
UnitedHealthcare	H2001	4.5	no change	326,769
HealthSpring	H4513	3.5	4.5 → 3.5	226,650
UnitedHealthcare	H4527	4	4.5 → 4	199,537
Humana	H5216	4	3.5 → 4	177,707
UnitedHealthcare	H4514	4	no change	149,454
Humana	H0028	4.5	3.5 → 4.5	130,458
UnitedHealthcare	H1278	3	3.5 → 3	111,973
Humana	H4461	4.5	4 → 4.5	107,350
Humana	H7617	4.5	no change	106,514
Aetna Medicare	H5522	4.5	no change	69,221
Wellpoint	H8849	3.5	no change	56,233
Devoted Health	H7993	4.5	5 → 4.5	55,649
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana	H0107	4	3.5 → 4	55,645
KelseyCare Advantage	H0332	4.5	no change	53,058

1. Texas's Medicare Advantage market

Texas has 64 rated contracts with members, and the five largest hold 48% of them ^[1,2,3]. UnitedHealthcare's H0609 is the largest, at 4 stars, after falling from 4.5.

2. The best-rated options

UnitedHealthcare's H2001, with 326,769 Texas members, is rated 4.5, as are Humana's H0028, H4461 and H7617, Aetna's H5522, Devoted Health's H7993 and KelseyCare in Houston ^[1,2,3]. Humana's H0028 is the year's big improver, up from 3.5. For the five-star contracts licensed in Texas, including Clover Health, see the five-star plans.

3. Who slipped

HealthSpring's H4513 lost a full star, to 3.5, with 226,650 people in Texas ^[1,2,3]. UnitedHealthcare's H0609 and H4527 each fell from 4.5 to 4, and its H1278 fell from 3.5 to 3, which makes it the largest 3-star contract in the state.

4. The weakest

Besides H1278, Aetna's H4523 and UnitedHealthcare's R6801 regional PPO are at 3 stars with tens of thousands of Texas members each ^[1,2,3]. National context: the worst Medicare Advantage plans.

If you are under 65 and buying your own plan, Texas marketplace prices are at the cheapest health insurance in Texas. Other states: Florida, Georgia, California, New York. All states compared: the state ranking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Medicare Advantage plan in Texas for 2027?

Among contracts with at least 10,000 Texas members, UnitedHealthcare H2001 and Humana H0028 and H4461 are rated 4.5 ^[1,2,3]. Clover Health H5141, licensed in Texas, is rated five stars ^[1,4].

Are there 5-star Medicare Advantage plans in Texas?

Yes, three contracts rated five stars are licensed in Texas for 2026: Clover Health H5141 and UnitedHealthcare H0710 and H5652 ^[1,4]. Check Medicare Plan Finder for whether one sells in your county.

Which Texas Medicare Advantage plans got worse?

HealthSpring H4513 fell from 4.5 to 3.5; UnitedHealthcare's H0609 and H4527 fell from 4.5 to 4; and UnitedHealthcare H1278 fell from 3.5 to 3 ^[1,2,3].

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 — 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