By Paul Barrett, CMIP , Founder, The Modern Medicare Agency Licensed in 37 states · Serving Suffolk County & all of Long Island · Last updated July 24, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Five Medicare Advantage plans in Suffolk County offer a genuine Part B giveback for 2026. We pulled the actual 2026 Summary of Benefits directly for two of them and confirmed real numbers — not estimates. The other three still need direct confirmation before we’d publish a specific dollar figure for them.
- No plan we’ve confirmed in Suffolk County gives back the full $202.90 Part B premium. Aetna Eagle Giveback credits $75/month; Humana Direct Choice Giveback credits $42/month. Both are partial credits, not full premium coverage — and that’s consistent with how these plans are generally structured nationally.
- The giveback amount can change from year to year, sometimes significantly, as carriers adjust their bids to CMS. A plan’s credit this year isn’t guaranteed to stay the same next year — or to keep offering a giveback at all.
- The giveback amount is not really “by zip code.” What actually changes by location is which plans you’re even eligible to enroll in — the credit itself is generally the same for everyone on a given plan, not something that shifts street by street the way some ads imply.
- New York was late to this game. Giveback plans have been common in much of the rest of the country for years — nationally, only about 1,369 of the roughly 5,600 Medicare Advantage plans (about 24%) offer a Part B giveback for 2026 at all, and New York’s market has historically had fewer of these than states like Florida or Texas. That’s changed in recent years, but it’s not a long-standing New York staple the way it is elsewhere.
- These plans are not for everyone. For the right person, a giveback plan can be a genuinely appealing option but the credit is one factor among several, not a reason on its own to enroll.
Fast Facts: Part B Giveback Plans in Suffolk County (2026)
County | Suffolk |
2026 standard Part B premium | $202.90/month |
Giveback plans confirmed available | 5 |
Carriers offering giveback plans | Aetna, Humana (3 plans), Wellcare |
Confirmed giveback amounts (primary-sourced) | Aetna Eagle: $75/mo · Humana Direct Choice: $42/mo |
Not yet independently confirmed | Humana Gold Plus, Humana USAA Honor, Wellcare Giveback Open |
Plans with drug coverage included | 2 of 5 |
Plans with no drug coverage | 3 of 5 |
Sources: Q1Medicare 2026 Medicare Advantage Plan Finder (CMS-sourced); official 2026 Summary of Benefits documents from AetnaMedicare.com and Humana.com, pulled directly for the two plans listed above.
The Real List: Suffolk County Giveback Plans for 2026 — With Pros and Cons
Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO) , H5521-320-0
Giveback: $75/month (confirmed from Aetna’s own 2026 Summary of Benefits)
- Pros: Real, verified $75 credit — one of the stronger confirmed givebacks in this market. PPO structure means no referrals needed and out-of-network access is available (at higher cost). 4.5-star rated.
- Cons: No prescription drug coverage at all — you’d need a standalone Part D plan, which adds a separate premium that could offset some or all of the giveback savings. Full $9,250 in-network MOOP.
- Who it makes sense for: Someone who already has drug coverage elsewhere (through a spouse’s plan, a retiree plan, or the VA) and wants a real, confirmed premium credit plus flexible PPO access.
Humana Direct Choice Giveback (PPO) , H5970-032-0
Giveback: $42/month (confirmed from Humana’s own 2026 Summary of Benefits)
- Pros: Includes built-in Part D drug coverage, so you’re not paying for a separate drug plan. Reasonable $270 medical deductible. No referrals needed, PPO out-of-network access available.
- Cons: The giveback itself is the smallest of the confirmed amounts in this market — $42/month is real money, but noticeably less than Aetna’s confirmed $75. $475 drug deductible on top of the medical deductible.
- Who it makes sense for: Someone who wants the convenience of drug coverage bundled in and values a smaller-but-real, verified giveback over chasing a bigger unconfirmed number elsewhere.
Humana Gold Plus Giveback (HMO) , H3533-027-0
Giveback: not yet independently confirmed
- Pros: Includes Part D drug coverage. HMO structure typically means lower cost-sharing than a PPO, if you’re comfortable staying in-network.
- Cons: HMO means referrals are typically required to see specialists, and out-of-network care generally isn’t covered except emergencies. $615 drug deductible.
- Who it makes sense for: Someone who’s comfortable with an HMO’s tighter network rules in exchange for lower day-to-day costs — but confirm the actual giveback amount with us directly before assuming it beats the confirmed options above.
Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO), H5970-016-0
Giveback: not yet independently confirmed
- Pros: Designed with veterans and military families in mind. Lower MOOP than most plans in this market ($4,950 vs. $9,250 for most others) — meaningful if you expect to need significant care in a given year.
- Cons: No drug coverage included. Giveback amount not yet confirmed, so it shouldn’t be assumed to be the “best” option until verified.
- Who it makes sense for: Veterans or military family members who already have drug coverage elsewhere and want the lower out-of-pocket ceiling.
Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO) , H2775-111-0
Giveback: not yet independently confirmed
- Pros: Includes Part D drug coverage. PPO flexibility with no referrals required.
- Cons: $615 drug deductible. Giveback amount not yet confirmed.
- Who it makes sense for: Worth a look if you want PPO flexibility with drug coverage bundled in, but confirm the actual credit amount before comparing it against Aetna’s or Humana Direct Choice’s verified numbers.
What the "Giveback" Actually Means, and What It Doesn't
Here’s where a lot of the online comparison sites get a little loose with the truth: the giveback isn’t a check that shows up in your mailbox, and it isn’t something that changes based on your specific street address within a county. It’s a credit that reduces what Medicare deducts from your Social Security payment for your Part B premium each month. If your plan has a $75 giveback, Social Security deducts $75 less from your check — you still technically owe the full $202.90 Part B premium, the plan is just covering part of it on your behalf.
No plan we’ve confirmed in Suffolk County gives back the full premium. Our two verified numbers — Aetna at $75/month and Humana Direct Choice at $42/month — are both meaningful money, but both still leave you paying a real chunk of your Part B premium yourself. Anyone marketing a giveback plan as “free Part B” is oversimplifying, and it’s worth confirming any advertised number against the plan’s own Summary of Benefits before trusting it.
The amount also isn’t locked in forever. Carriers set their giveback amount as part of their annual bid to CMS, and that bid can change every year. A plan’s credit this year isn’t guaranteed to carry over unchanged to next year — it could increase, decrease, or disappear entirely, depending on what the carrier files. If a giveback amount is the main reason you’re choosing a plan, it’s worth checking every Annual Enrollment Period rather than assuming it’ll stay the same.
What genuinely does vary by location isn’t the dollar amount — it’s which plans are even approved to operate where you live. CMS approves Medicare Advantage plans county by county (and sometimes by smaller service-area segments within a county). So the real question isn’t “what’s my zip code’s giveback amount” — it’s “which giveback plans are actually approved to enroll people in my specific area,” and then, separately, what that specific plan’s credit happens to be.
A bit of history worth knowing: giveback plans have been common in much of the rest of the country for a long time — states like Florida and Texas have had robust giveback markets for years. New York was slower to see many of these plans show up, historically offering far fewer giveback options than the national picture. That’s shifted in recent years as more carriers have entered this market here, but it’s worth understanding this is a newer feature of the New York landscape, not something that’s always been widely available here the way it has elsewhere.
We pulled the actual 2026 Summary of Benefits directly for two of the five plans above and confirmed real numbers. For the other three, we’re not willing to publish a specific dollar figure until we’ve verified it the same way — if you want any of those confirmed, or want your specific plan’s exact giveback amount today, that’s something we can pull for you directly when we talk.
Paul's Honest Take
A giveback sounds like free money, and in a real sense it is — it’s a genuine reduction in what comes out of your Social Security check every month. But these plans are not for everyone. I’ve seen people choose a giveback plan for the credit alone and end up with a plan that doesn’t cover their prescriptions or doesn’t include their doctor’s network. Look at the list above: three of these five plans don’t include drug coverage at all, and neither of the two credits we’ve actually verified — $75 from Aetna, $42 from Humana Direct Choice — comes close to covering the full $202.90 premium. It’s real money, not a free ride.
For the right person, though, a giveback plan can be a genuinely appealing option. If you already have drug coverage handled somewhere else — through a spouse’s plan, VA benefits, or a standalone Part D plan — and you want to lower your monthly Social Security deduction, a confirmed credit like Aetna’s $75 is a real, meaningful benefit. The mistake isn’t choosing a giveback plan; it’s choosing one without checking whether the trade-offs (network, drug coverage, deductible, and the actual confirmed credit) fit your situation. Run the math on your specific prescriptions and doctors before assuming the giveback plan comes out ahead — sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, and the only way to know is to actually check the plan’s own paperwork, not a comparison site’s estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a benefit offered by some Medicare Advantage plans where the plan credits part of your Part B premium back to you, reducing the amount deducted from your Social Security check each month. No plan in Suffolk County covers the full $202.90 premium — you still must be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B and pay your own Part B premium to qualify.
Five plans: Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback (PPO), Humana Direct Choice Giveback (PPO), Humana Gold Plus Giveback (HMO), Humana USAA Honor Giveback (PPO), and Wellcare Giveback Open (PPO).
It depends on the specific plan, and none confirmed so far cover the full $202.90 premium. We’ve verified two of the five directly from official 2026 Summary of Benefits documents: Aetna Medicare Eagle Giveback gives back $75/month, and Humana Direct Choice Giveback gives back $42/month. The exact amounts for Humana Gold Plus Giveback, Humana USAA Honor Giveback, and Wellcare Giveback Open are still being confirmed directly with each carrier — we don’t publish a specific figure until we’ve verified it the same way.
Not exactly. The giveback credit itself is generally consistent for everyone enrolled in a given plan. What changes by location is which specific plans are approved to operate in your area — so your zip code determines your options, not the dollar amount of any one plan’s credit.
No. Carriers set the giveback amount as part of their annual bid to CMS, and it can change from year to year — sometimes significantly. A plan’s 2026 giveback amount isn’t a guarantee of what it will offer in 2027. It’s worth checking the current amount every Annual Enrollment Period rather than assuming it stays fixed.
Not to the extent other states have. Giveback plans have been common in states like Florida and Texas for years, while New York’s market historically offered far fewer of these options. More carriers have brought giveback plans to New York in recent years, but it’s a newer feature of this market rather than a long-standing staple.
It varies. Of the five Suffolk County giveback plans, two include Part D drug coverage (Humana Direct Choice Giveback and Humana Gold Plus Giveback) and three do not (Aetna Eagle Giveback, Humana USAA Honor Giveback, Wellcare Giveback Open).
No. You never receive a physical check or cash payment. The credit is applied automatically as a reduction to the amount deducted from your Social Security payment, or as a reduced direct bill if you pay Part B out of pocket.
No. Giveback plans are designed for beneficiaries who pay their own Part B premium out of pocket. If a state program or Medicaid already covers your Part B premium, you wouldn’t see additional savings from a giveback plan’s credit.
Yes — it’s marketed with veterans and military families in mind, but it’s open to any Medicare-eligible person. Its exact giveback amount hasn’t been independently confirmed yet, so don’t assume it’s the largest credit in this market until that’s verified. Eligibility rules should also be confirmed directly with Humana or a licensed agent.
Not on its own. The giveback is a real, valuable credit, but it shouldn’t outweigh whether your doctors and hospital are in-network or whether the plan covers your specific prescriptions. A plan with no giveback but the right network and drug coverage can easily save you more overall than a giveback plan that doesn’t fit your care needs. These plans work well for the right person, but they’re not automatically the best choice for everyone.
The only reliable way is to check the plan’s official Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage document, or work with a licensed agent who can pull the confirmed figure for your specific plan and situation.
Internal Links to Add
- Link to your existing LA County Part B Giveback explainer (cross-market internal linking, same content type)
- Link “Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap” mention → existing comparison content
- Link “free consultation” CTA → /free-consultation/
- Add reciprocal link from any Suffolk County hub page or town cluster pages (Commack, Lindenhurst, Patchogue, etc.)
Disclaimer (include at bottom per standard site footer)
The Modern Medicare Agency is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Giveback amounts, premiums, and plan availability are subject to change and should be verified directly against the plan’s official Summary of Benefits or Evidence of Coverage, or with a licensed agent, before enrolling.
Sources: Q1Medicare 2026 Medicare Advantage Plan Finder (CMS-sourced plan data); AetnaMedicare.com official 2026 Summary of Benefits for plan H5521-320-0; Humana.com Part B Giveback Benefit explainer.
