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AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS)
Benefits Summary and Overview
This page is a benefits summary and overview of key plan information for AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS). The information on this page is a summary only.
For a complete listing of all available benefits and cost information on AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) in 2026, please refer to our full plan details page.
This summary reflects 2026 plan information. Where this plan continues in 2027, the full plan details page links to its 2027 benefits and costs.
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) is a HMO-POS plan offered by Unitedhealthcare of the Midlands, Inc. available for the 2026 plan year to people living in Select Counties in Illinois. This plan received an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars in 2026.
It's important to know that AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) is a Medicare Advantage (MA) Plan with drug coverage. That means that this plan covers both medical services and prescription drugs.
Key Plan Facts
Below are a few key facts and commonly-asked questions about AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS).
Plan Costs:
The cost of a Medicare Advantage Plan is made up of four main parts.
- First, the monthly premium — the amount you pay every month.
- Second, the deductible — the amount you pay out of pocket for covered services before the plan starts paying.
- Third, the copayments and coinsurance — the amounts you pay out of pocket for covered services, usually after meeting the deductible (if applicable). Copays are fixed dollar amounts; coinsurance is a percentage of the cost.
- Fourth, the Out-of-Pocket Maximum — the maximum amount you could have to pay out of pocket in a year. This may be different for in-network and out-of-network services.
For AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS), the main costs are as follows:
Monthly Premium
The Monthly Premium for this plan is $0.00. This is the amount you must pay every month.
This plan does not come with a Part B Premium reduction. You must continue to pay your Part B premium.
Deductibles
Health deductible: information not available.
This plan has a $440.00 drug deductible that applies only to drugs in certain tiers. You pay this amount toward covered prescriptions in those tiers before the plan's cost sharing begins; drugs in the other tiers are not subject to the deductible. See the full plan details page for the tier table.
Out-of-Pocket Maximums
This plan has a Maximum Out-Of-Pocket cost of $2900.00 for in-network services. You will pay copays, coinsurance, and deductibles toward this amount. Once your out-of-pocket costs reach $2900.00 for in-network covered services, the plan will pay 100% of in-network covered costs for the rest of the year.
You can see below for the coinsurance and specific copayments for in the Additional Benefits section below, or refer to our Plan Details page for more details.
Common Services:
Doctor Visits:
Specialist Visits:
Emergency Room:
Urgent Care:
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Drug Coverage
The AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) plan features an annual prescription drug deductible of $440. For Tier 1 preferred generic drugs, you will pay no copay for both one-month and three-month supplies at standard pharmacies and through mail order. Tier 2 generic drugs cost a $10 copay for a one-month supply at standard pharmacies, but you can save by choosing a three-month supply with no copay through preferred mail order. For higher-tier medications, the plan utilizes coinsurance rather than flat copays. Tier 3 preferred brand drugs require a 16% coinsurance for both pharmacy and mail-order fills. Tier 4 non-preferred drugs and Tier 5 specialty drugs carry a 41% and 28% coinsurance, respectively, for a one-month supply across standard pharmacies and mail-order options.
Additional Benefits
The AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) plan offers comprehensive medical coverage with predictable costs, including no copays for primary care visits, annual physical exams, and home health services. For inpatient hospital stays, members pay a daily copay of $295 for the first seven days and no copay for days eight through 90, while emergency room visits carry a $150 copay with no coinsurance. Outpatient services and specialist visits are also highly affordable, featuring no coinsurance and low copays ranging from no copay up to $295. This plan also includes valuable supplemental benefits such as routine dental, vision, and hearing care with no copays for preventive services and annual exams. Dental coverage provides up to a $2,000 annual limit with coinsurance between 20 percent and 50 percent for comprehensive care, while select eyewear is covered up to a $150 limit every two years. Additionally, members can access prescription hearing aids with varying copays, as well as over-the-counter items and chronic illness meals with no copay and no coinsurance.
Inpatient Hospital See details
Inpatient hospital services are partially covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) with no coinsurance, requiring a $295 copay per day for days 1 to 7 and no copay for days 8 to 90. Unlimited additional acute care days are covered with no copay, but upgrades, non-Medicare-covered stays, and additional psychiatric days are not covered.
Outpatient Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers outpatient hospital services with no coinsurance and copays ranging from $0 to $295, alongside outpatient observation services for a $295 daily copay. Ambulatory surgical center and outpatient blood services feature no copays or coinsurance, while outpatient substance abuse sessions have no coinsurance and copays ranging from $0 to $25, with prior authorization required for most services.
Partial Hospitalization See details
Partial hospitalization services are covered by the AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) plan with a $55.00 copay and no coinsurance, although prior authorization is required.
Ambulance and Transportation Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers ground and air ambulance services with a $275 copay and no coinsurance, though prior authorization is required. Transportation services to health-related locations are not covered.
Emergency Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers emergency services with a $150 copay, which is waived if admitted to the hospital within 24 hours, and no coinsurance. Urgently needed services have a copay ranging from $0 to $65 with no coinsurance, while worldwide emergency, urgent, and transportation services are covered with no copay and no coinsurance.
Primary Care See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers primary care, telehealth, and opioid treatment with no copay and no coinsurance, while specialist visits, podiatry, and therapy services require copays ranging from $0 to $30 and no coinsurance. Mental health and psychiatric sessions have copays up to $25 and no coinsurance, and while some chiropractic services are covered, routine and other chiropractic services are not covered.
Preventive Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) offers partially covered preventive services with no copay and no coinsurance for annual physical exams, kidney disease education, fitness benefits, home safety devices, and select screenings. However, sub-services such as health education, in-home safety assessments, PERS, medical nutrition therapy, medication reconciliation, re-admission prevention, chemotherapy wigs, weight management, alternative therapies, therapeutic massage, adult day health, nutritional benefits, palliative care, in-home support, caregiver support, smoking cessation, disease management, telemonitoring, remote access, and counseling are not covered.
Hearing Services See details
Hearing services are partially covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) with no deductible and no coinsurance, though fitting and evaluation exams, as well as inner ear, outer ear, and over the ear prescription hearing aids are not covered. One routine hearing exam is covered annually with no copay, while up to two prescription hearing aids (copays from $199.00 to $1,249.00) and two OTC hearing aids (copays from $199.00 to $829.00) are covered each year with no coinsurance.
Vision Services See details
Vision services are partially covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS), featuring no copay and no coinsurance for annual routine eye exams and select eyewear like contact lenses and frames, up to a $150 combined limit every two years. Eyeglass lenses are covered with a $0 to $153 copay and no coinsurance, while other eye exams, upgrades, and complete eyeglasses (lenses and frames) are not covered.
Dental Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) offers partially covered dental services up to a $2,000 annual limit, though implant services and orthodontics are not covered. Diagnostic and preventive dental care has no copay and no coinsurance, while Medicare-covered dental services require no copay and a 20% coinsurance, and covered comprehensive services require no copay and a 50% coinsurance.
Home Infusion bundled Services See details
Home infusion bundled services are covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) with no copay, though prior authorization is required. Associated Medicare Part B drugs, including chemotherapy and insulin, carry a coinsurance of 0% to 20%, with insulin requiring a $35 copay.
Dialysis Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers dialysis services with no copay and a 20% coinsurance. Prior authorization is required to receive coverage for these services.
Medical Equipment See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) covers durable medical equipment, prosthetics, and medical supplies with no copay and a 20% coinsurance. Diabetic supplies are covered with no copay, while diabetic therapeutic shoes and inserts require a 20% coinsurance, with prior authorization required for these medical equipment benefits.
Diagnostic and Radiological Services See details
Diagnostic and radiological services are covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) under prior authorization, featuring no copay or coinsurance for lab services and a $50 copay with no coinsurance for diagnostic tests. Radiological services range from no copay for diagnostic radiology to a $30 copay plus coinsurance for outpatient X-rays, and a minimum 20% coinsurance for therapeutic radiological services.
Home Health Services See details
Home health services are covered under the AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) plan with no copay and no coinsurance, though prior authorization is required.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Services See details
Cardiac Rehabilitation Services are not covered under the AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) plan, as all associated sub-services, including intensive cardiac, pulmonary, and supervised exercise therapy, are excluded from coverage.
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) See details
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) services are covered by AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) with no coinsurance, requiring no copay for days 1 through 20 and a $218 daily copay for days 21 through 100. Prior authorization is required, a prior three-day inpatient hospital stay is not required, and additional days beyond the standard Medicare-covered limit are not covered.
Other Services See details
AARP Medicare Advantage Essentials from UHC IL-8 (HMO-POS) provides partially covered other services, featuring over-the-counter (OTC) items and chronic illness meal benefits with no copay and no coinsurance. Acupuncture is not covered under this plan, and the meal benefit requires prior authorization.
Plan Providers
Medicare Advantage and Part D plans and benefits offered by the following carriers: Aetna Medicare, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aspire Health Plan, Dean Health Plan, Devoted Health, Florida Blue Medicare, Freedom Health, Health Care Service Corporation, HealthSpringSM, HealthSun, Healthy Blue, Humana, Molina Healthcare, Mutual of Omaha, Medica Central Health Plan, Optimum HealthCare, Premera Blue Cross, SCAN Health Plan, Simply, UnitedHealthcare(R), Wellcare, WellPoint.
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