Kettering Health says it will not renew its contract with Anthem’s Medicare Advantage plans, so patients in those plans lose in-network access to Kettering after Dec. 31, 2026. Medicare’s annual enrollment window, Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, is the time to switch to a plan that still includes Kettering doctors and hospitals. The health system announced the decision on Oct. 6.
What Kettering announced
The announcement says Kettering will not renew its contract with Anthem, the private Medicare Advantage insurer, and that the decision includes Anthem MyCare. Patients stay in network through Dec. 31, 2026. Kettering’s billing and insurance page states the date plainly: effective Jan. 1, 2027, Kettering Health will no longer be in-network with Anthem Medicare Advantage.
The health system says it remains in network with traditional Medicare and with several other Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans are private plans that replace Original Medicare, and each one has its own list of doctors and hospitals. The announcement does not carry a statement from Anthem.
Why the contract is ending
Kettering gives several reasons. It says Anthem did not offer contract terms that meaningfully addressed administrative and operational burdens. It cites claim denials and payment reductions, and it says the reimbursement Anthem offered was below traditional Medicare and has not kept up with inflation.
For patients in Anthem plans who see Kettering doctors, the question is which plan will keep those doctors in network on Jan. 1, and that choice has to be in the plan’s hands by Dec. 7. The announcement does not name the other Medicare Advantage plans that stay in network, so each plan has to be asked.
An Anthem member who keeps a Kettering specialist past Dec. 31 may face out-of-network costs from Jan. 1, and Dec. 7 is the last day to switch. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors and a provider call script.
Compare plans on Kettering doctors and drugs with the Open Enrollment Kit →
A second year of exits
This is the second year in a row that Kettering has dropped Medicare Advantage insurers. A year ago it announced on Sept. 29, 2025 that it would not renew contracts with Humana and Devoted Health after Dec. 31, 2025, citing denials, reduced or missing payment and a heavy operational burden. Patients in those plans faced the same switch deadline a year earlier.
What the enrollment window allows
Medicare says Open Enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year, and changes take effect Jan. 1. The plan has to receive the enrollment request by Dec. 7. During those weeks a person can join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, with or without drug coverage, or move from a Medicare Advantage plan back to Original Medicare.
Moving back to Original Medicare comes with a catch. Medicare says that person may need a separate drug plan and may want Medigap, a supplement policy, though there are limits on when Medigap can be added. Anyone considering that route should find out the Medigap rules before dropping the Advantage plan.
Help the health system points to
Kettering says it is working with RetireMed, a local Medicare advisory group, which offers free guidance during the Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 enrollment period. The system also says it is sending letters to affected patients. Its billing and insurance page lists RetireMed consultations as free.
Last year’s announcement described a second chance for people already in an Advantage plan. The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which Kettering described then as running from Jan. 1 to March 31, lets those members switch or leave, with changes taking effect the month after enrollment. This year’s announcement does not repeat those dates, so anyone relying on that window should confirm it with Medicare before counting on it.
What the change can cost
An Advantage plan’s network decides what a visit costs. Kettering says that after Dec. 31 its doctors and hospitals will be out of network for Anthem Medicare Advantage members, and the announcement does not say what Anthem will charge for out-of-network care. Anyone in the plan would need to ask Anthem how out-of-network care is covered before relying on it.
Choosing a replacement before Dec. 7
Medicare’s free Plan Finder is the official place to look for plans. Whether a plan’s network includes a particular doctor is best confirmed directly, with each doctor’s office and each plan’s provider directory.
It helps to make a short list before calling: every doctor and facility used in the past year, including Kettering specialists, each prescription with its dose, and the plan’s monthly premium and out-of-pocket maximum. Then ask each plan whether those doctors are in network for 2027 and write down the name of the person who answered.
The enrollment request has to reach the new plan by Dec. 7, so a plan that can only be confirmed by phone the week before is cutting it close. The dates that matter come from Kettering and Medicare: Dec. 31 is the last day in network with Anthem, and Dec. 7 is the last day to change.
The Dec. 7 switch date for Kettering patients
A plan that quietly leaves Kettering out of network can turn a routine specialist visit into a surprise bill after Jan. 1. The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit comes with a prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script to ask each plan about those doctors, plus the Open Enrollment calendar. The kit runs 55 pages.
Get the provider call script and plan-by-plan drug comparison in the Open Enrollment Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
