Compare Alignment versus UnitedHealth AARP Plans

In many areas, this becomes the battle between David and Goliath.

UnitedHealth is the dominant Advantage plan carrier in the market with AARP at their back.

Alignment is the up-and-coming carrier which seems to be doing everything right.

We have big reviews of each at the links above.

Here's a recent snapshot of the market:

Alignment just grew year to year by 40% so we expect to have more and more people ask us to compare the two.

As we'll see below, the real strength for both carriers comes down to...networks!

The doctors you can see!

Down in Los Angeles, Optum is a major force and both can work with them.

This is fascinating since UnitedHealth has a direct relationship with the Optum medical group.

Let's cover the basics here:

• Quick intro to comparing Advantage plans
• United Health versus Alignment at the company level
• United Health versus Alignment plan offering
• Alignment versus United Health networks
• How to quote Alignment and United Health advantage plans
• How to enroll in either Alignment or United Health

As for our credentials:

Let's get started!

Quick intro to comparing Advantage plans

Before we jump into the two carriers, let's get a lay of the Advantage landscape.

In our Triple Threat process, we look at the following:

• Deductible - amount we pay before benefits kick in
• Star Rating - what current enrollees feel about the plan on a scale of 1-5
• Max out of Pocket - max exposure for covered bills if you have serious health issues

The big three. We have a big guide on how to compare Advantage plans but this really gets to the heart of it.

Beyond those basics, some key factors in your comparison:

• Are you eligible for Medi-Cal or LIS (Extra Help)?
• Do you have a chronic illness?
• Is money back to help with Part B costs important?

There are special plans for these situations that can sway our decision.

We'll focus on the core plans since the above three situations require a whole separate article and calculation.

Before looking at the plans, what about the carriers?

United Health versus Alignment at the company level

United is a massive company. Legitimately, the biggest Advantage plan carrier in the US!

They have an exclusive relationship for Medicare plans with AARP which makes them very very popular with seniors.

Check out our review of United Health Advantage plans to dig into the metrics of the carrier.

In many areas, they're one of our favorite options as long as the plan basics match up competitively.

This comes down to two factors:

• They typically have a strong Star Rating of around 4 out of 5 for key plans
• They generally have one of the best networks!

The latter is really important. Maybe the most important with Advantage plans since these options are HMO.

There are two main limitations of an HMO compared to a Medicare supplement (see what are trade-offs of Advantage plans).

• Doctors you have access to
• Control over care decisions

Generally, one of the first questions we get with someone comparing Advantage plans is..

"What plan works with doctor X or Medical Group A"??

We'll show you how to address in the quote section below but United has access to dominant medical groups across the State due to their sheer size.

For this reason, they'll usually show strong in the quote results.

What about Alignment?

You can see they're a smaller carrier but they're also one of the fastest growing in California!

Why?

They're pretty much knocking it out of the park right now.

We deal with all the big Advantage carriers day-in and day-out.

Alignment is one of the easiest to work with!

That really matters when you need help with a medication or don't understand some benefit in your plan.

It also reflects in the Star Rating and you'll see 4 Stars throughout the State.

Alignment focuses on Advantage plans as opposed to other carriers that also do Medicare Supplements.

We lean on the Star Rating to compare both and they're pretty...comparable. That's all that matters...what actual real-live people think about their plan.

With that being said, let's look at the most popular plans with United and Alignment.

Advantage plans are very much regional so we'll focus on Los Angeles and also look at the Bay Area as examples but make sure to run quotes for your area below!

United Health versus Alignment plan offering

Let's look at two key areas. We'll start with Los Angeles, by far the biggest Advantage market in California.

When we run the quote and sort by "Total Estimated Cost", we see these results:

• Alignment Health Platinum + Instacart (HMO)
• Alignment Health My Choice (HMO)
• Alignment Health AVA + Instacart (HMO-POS)
• Alignment Health smartHMO (HMO)
• Alignment Health My Choice CalPlus (HMO)
• Alignment Health the ONE + Rite Aid (HMO)
• Alignment Health CalPlus Heroes (HMO)
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-0019
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-003P
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-004P
• AARP Medicare Advantage from UHC CA-0029
• Alignment Health AVA (PPO)

Interesting! The quote system is showing Alignment's plans up top because their Star Rating is 4 stars while United's plans are 3 ½ stars.

That may not sound like much of a difference but out of 5 stars, it means people are more satisfied with the Alignment plans.

Really, there are only 2-3 of the Alignment plans that are really popular (see most popular Alignment plans).

It's these three:

• Platinum+ Instacart has a $198 max out of pocket!
• The lowest United max is $800 (very common in Los Angeles area).

This is a huge deal if you have big health care expenses since it shows your max exposure on the backend.

You also get grocery delivery if you qualify based on chronic illnesses. Learn more about the Instacart Alignment benefit.

The second plan is their standard offering and it has a $498 max with 4 Stars. Still very solid and roughly half the standard low max in that area of $800.

Finally, the SmartChoice is the Cash back (Part B rebate) plan. Learn more about how Part B rebates work. This can be almost $2K annually in real money saved!

The other Alignment plans aren't terribly popular except if you qualify for Medi-Cal (D-SNP) or chronic illness (C-SNP).

You can select "Show Special Needs Plans" up top to see the plans that work for people with Medi-Cal and chronic illness.

What about United's popular plans in Los Angeles?

Two key notes.

• They both have 3 ½ Stars and out of pocket maxes of $800. Zero premium across the board (which is pretty standard in Los Angeles).
• They are HMO-POS plans as opposed to Alignment's HMO status.

We'll cover what this means in the network section below.

It's really the Star Rating and Max that we're focused on when comparing all these options since deductible and premium are the same.

What about up north in the Bay Area (San Diego is a whole different world by the way but comparable to Bay Area in key metrics)?

This is easier to compare.

For Alignment, you have two plans:

• Sutter
• MyChoice PPO

With United, one HMO-POS plan.

Look at the Star Ratings to help make a decision in this area.

Really, it's the Sutter plan that stands out since most people want access to this network and PAMF. This is true all the way over to Sacramento and we have a whole review on the Sutter plan with PAMF access.

The PPOs don't have a great response on the Star Rating which makes sense. People expect freedom and control with PPOs and that goes against the grain with Advantage plans.

This really brings us to the next section.

Alignment versus United Health networks

This is really why AARP United Health is the dominant carrier and Alignment is the fastest growing.

Doctors that participate with their Advantage plans!

We expect this from AARP UnitedHealth. It works with the whole HMO model...lots of members and lots of doctors to keep costs down.

That's why you don't see Advantage in rural areas (in numbers). See our How to Compare Advantage plans to learn more.

In the quote tool below, put in your doctors and most likely, United is going to come up if they work with Advantage plans.

Heck...Optum (a powerhouse in Los Angeles) is part of UnitedHealth!

Then there's Alignment! This may be why they're growing so fast.

A good majority of Advantage plan shoppers will narrow the choice down to which carrier works with their doctors.

How Alignment was able to get the following is beyond us:

• Optum
• Heritage
• Regal
• Sutter

And many many more across the State!

This is the secret sauce behind the strength of both carriers. Speaking of "your doctor"...let's see how to include this in the quote.

How to quote Alignment and United Health advantage plans

You saw our reviews above. We make quoting Alignment and AARP UnitedHealth fast, free, and most importantly...hassle-free!

You can run your instant quotes here:

A few notes to get the most out of it...

In the "Preference Box", add:

• Your doctors! (remember, the plan only works if it works with your doctors)
• Your medications and dosages
• Your preferred pharmacy

Next, sort by "Total Estimated Cost".

Finally, select "Show Special Need Plans" if you qualify for Medi-Cal, LIS (Extra Help), or have a Chronic illness.

You can filter for Alignment and/or AARP United Health on the left.

We're happy to help with any questions at help@calhealth.net or pick a time to chat here: https://calendly.com/dennis-jnw

This stuff is confusing and everyone's situation is different. There's no cost for our assistance.

What if you find the right plan?

How to enroll in either Alignment or United Health

This is super easy from the quote tool above.

Just add to cart!

The system is automatically tied into the enrollment systems for both Alignment and AARP UnitedHealth for the fastest processing.

If replacing another Advantage plan, the existing carrier will automatically be notified and the plan canceled when the new one is approved.

There's zero cost to use this system and it's managed by Integrity, the dominant Medicare Advantage quoting/enrollment system in the country!

Fast. Secure. Most importantly, the online application process is easy!

We rarely have people get stuck (which is amazing in today's world!) but if you do, reach out to us with any questions at help@calhealth.net or 800-320-6269.

Be well!