Patients who get their care at Ohio State University’s hospitals and carry a Humana Medicare Advantage plan are facing a hard deadline. Beginning October 1, 2026, Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, the James Cancer Center, and OSU-affiliated physicians will be out of network for Humana Medicare Advantage and Humana Medicaid members. That means care you receive there after that date generally will not be covered at your in-network rate, and could leave you paying far more out of pocket unless you act during the enrollment window ahead.
What “out of network on October 1” actually changes
The change is confirmed by both sides of the contract. Ohio State’s own Insurances We Accept page lists, under an “Effective October 1, 2026” heading, more than a dozen Humana plans that will be out of network with the medical center — including HumanaChoice (PPO) products, several Humana Gold Plus (HMO) plans, Humana Dual Select, and others. Humana, for its part, said in a public statement dated July 2, 2026 that “The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, The James Cancer Center, and OSU affiliated physicians will be out-of-network for Humana members, beginning October 1, 2026,” and confirmed that affected Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members have already been notified.
When a hospital system goes out of network, a Medicare Advantage plan typically covers little or none of the cost of routine, non-emergency care there, shifting a much larger share to you. The practical effect is that Humana members who want to keep seeing OSU doctors and using OSU hospitals for planned care will need a different path — either a plan that still includes OSU, or a return to Original Medicare — to avoid out-of-network bills.
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Two exceptions that still protect you
Not everything changes on October 1. Humana says emergencies are still covered: if a member has a medical emergency, they should go to the closest hospital, and those emergency services are covered at the in-network benefit level regardless of whether the hospital participates in Humana’s network. Ohio State also notes that Medigap (Medicare Supplement) coverage is not affected by this change, because Medigap works alongside Original Medicare rather than through an Advantage network.
There is also continuity-of-care protection for people in the middle of treatment. Humana says members with certain medical conditions may qualify to keep seeing their current OSU provider at the in-network level of benefits for a limited period while they transition — a real lifeline for someone undergoing cancer treatment at the James or managing a serious chronic condition. That protection is not automatic for everyone, though; you generally have to request it and qualify, so call the number on the back of your Humana card to ask.
Why hospital systems keep leaving Advantage networks
The Ohio State split is part of a broader pattern that has played out across the country, as a growing number of hospital systems have chosen to drop or renegotiate Medicare Advantage contracts. Health systems have publicly complained that some Advantage plans are slow to pay, deny or delay care through prior authorization, and reimburse less than traditional Medicare for the same services. Humana’s statement frames the dispute in cost terms, saying it remains open to renewing the contract so both parties can keep “focusing on keeping healthcare costs affordable for our members.” When the two sides cannot agree, the patients caught in the middle are the ones who have to change plans or change doctors.
For an OSU patient, the reason behind the breakup matters less than the calendar. Whether or not Humana and Ohio State eventually strike a new deal, you cannot count on a last-minute reconciliation before October 1, and betting your coverage on one is risky. The safer assumption is that the network change happens as announced, and that you should line up an alternative during the enrollment window rather than wait and hope.
The enrollment window to fix your coverage
The most important date after October 1 is the Medicare Open Enrollment Period each fall, when anyone with Medicare Advantage or a Part D plan can change coverage for the following year. That is the clean, guaranteed way to move to a plan that still includes Ohio State, or to switch to Original Medicare paired with a drug plan. Medicare explains the rules for joining or changing a plan on its site, and you can compare which plans in your area include OSU using the official Plan Finder before you commit.
A network change like this one can, in some cases, also open a Special Enrollment Period on a case-by-case basis when Medicare or the plan considers the provider-network change significant. Medicare lists these situations, and what to do, on its Special Enrollment Periods page — but because it is evaluated individually, do not count on it. The safer move is to use the fall Open Enrollment window and confirm, plan by plan, that your OSU doctors and hospitals are in network for 2027 before you enroll.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Figures are linked to their primary sources; where a claim could not be verified from the public record, we say so.
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