Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is ending most of its current Medicare Advantage plans on December 31, the insurer said in an October 1 statement. The company says it lost more than $500 million on Medicare over the past three years. Members have until December 7 to pick a 2027 plan that starts January 1.
What did Blue Cross say about the Medicare losses?
The insurer’s newsroom statement says Blue Cross “lost more than $500 million on Medicare over the past three years” and that most current Medicare Advantage plans are being discontinued at the end of 2026. President and CEO Dana Erickson said the company has “a responsibility to act in the interest of being able to serve all members for years to come.”
Erickson’s message also points to a national pattern: nearly 5 million seniors nationwide have had their Medicare Advantage plan discontinued over the past two years. Members in a discontinued plan keep coverage through December 31, 2026.
Which members get a cancellation notice?
The notice reads, “Important notice: Your Medicare plan won’t be offered in 2027,” according to MPR News, which reported on October 16 that nearly 390,000 Minnesotans had received discontinuation notices. Blue Cross says members in its Medicare Cost, Medicare Supplement and Group Medicare plans are not receiving cancellation notices, and standalone prescription drug plans are not being cancelled. Those members get an Annual Notice of Change instead.
For a member in an individual Medicare Advantage plan, the notice settles the first question: the plan is ending. The second question, which plan replaces it, has a partial answer from Blue Cross. More than 80% of current Medicare Advantage members will have a new 2027 Blue Cross Medicare Advantage plan available, the company says, and members outside that share need another insurer or Original Medicare before December 7.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do.
Get the Retirement Money Brief →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
What do the 2027 Blue Cross plans look like?
Blue Cross’s 2027 plan page lists Essential, Select, Premier and Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage options. It also describes a Meadow Region made up of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright counties. The company says plan availability varies by county and does not list every county.
One benefit changes. Individual Medicare Advantage plans no longer offer over-the-counter benefits in 2027, while Freedom Blue and Group Medicare plans keep them. Blue Cross also says $0-premium Medicare Advantage plans include out-of-state coverage of up to six months, and most members can pick a plan with a fitness benefit.
What if a member misses December 7?
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027, Blue Cross says. Medicare.gov says that when a plan’s contract is not renewed, the special enrollment period runs December 8 to the last day of February, and that anyone who does not join another Medicare Advantage plan before the old one ends is enrolled in Original Medicare.
Blue Cross runs a Medicare enrollment line at 1-844-777-0191, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday. Members without an ID card can call member service at 1-800-382-2000. The statement also lists Minnesota Aging Pathways at 1-800-333-2433 and Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 for outside help.
Where do Minnesotans lose choices entirely?
MPR News reported that Crow Wing County has no Medicare Advantage plan offered by any insurer for 2027. It also reported that Humana is leaving individual Medicare Advantage in Minnesota, where a company spokesperson put its membership last year at fewer than 10,000.
For a Blue Cross member, the open question is whether the 2027 replacement keeps the same doctors and drugs. Blue Cross points members to its enrollment line at 1-844-777-0191, and December 7 is the date its statement gives for choosing a plan that starts January 1.
Replacing a Blue Cross plan before December 7?
A Blue Cross member in an individual plan faces a December 31 end date, a December 7 enrollment deadline and a 2027 plan lineup that drops over-the-counter benefits. A replacement chosen on premium alone can miss the drugs and doctors that matter.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, a prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script. It also includes the Open Enrollment calendar, so the December 7 date sits on a written schedule.
Get the cost calculator for replacing an ending Blue Cross plan →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
