Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Humana will sell Medicare Advantage in about 2,600 counties across 45 states next year
Humana has put a footprint on its 2027 Medicare Advantage business: approximately 2,600 counties across 45 states and Washington, D.C. The figure comes from the insurer’s own announcement on October 1, 2026, two weeks before Medicare’s annual enrollment period begins. It is a single number with nothing beside it to compare against, and that shapes…
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is cancelling every Medicare Advantage plan it sells and replacements reach more than 80 percent of members
Every Medicare Advantage plan that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota sells is being cancelled for 2027, and the insurer says new plans will be available to more than 80 percent of the people enrolled today. The company announced the restructuring in a newsroom release dated October 1, 2026. Medicare Open Enrollment, which opens…
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A hospital leaving a Medicare Advantage network can open the door to a Medigap policy
A Medicare Advantage member whose hospital leaves the plan’s network may hold a second way out of the plan, and it is not the exit most members use. Medicare’s own guide to Medigap lists a network that “has a significant change” among four situations that carry a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap policy. The…
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Three big Medicare insurers published 2027 plans on October 1 and none mentioned members losing coverage
Within a single day, three of the largest names in Medicare Advantage put out their 2027 plan announcements: UnitedHealthcare, Humana and Wellcare. Each release is upbeat, and each runs on national totals. None of the three, on a close read, says a word about members whose plans are ending or who will lose their current…
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Two men are charged with raising $8.7 million from 35 investors by targeting veterans
Two men now face federal charges over a fund that allegedly pulled in more than $8.7 million from 35 investors, with veterans singled out as the people to approach. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced its civil case on September 30, 2026, and said federal prosecutors in Manhattan had announced criminal charges over the same…
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A taxpayer who does not itemize can deduct up to $1,000 of cash gifts to charity this year
A cash gift made to charity before December 31 can lower taxable income even for a taxpayer who takes the standard deduction, a break that begins with the 2026 tax year. The IRS says a taxpayer who does not itemize may deduct up to $1,000 of cash contributions to certain qualified organizations, or up to…
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NEADA says households owe about $23 billion on their utility bills heading into winter
About one in six U.S. households is already behind on its utility bills as winter nears, and the unpaid balances add up to nearly $23 billion. Shutoffs have followed missed payments on a vast scale: in 2024, utilities cut off residential electric service about 13.4 million times and natural gas service about 1.7 million times.…
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Social Security now generally wants a full year of medical records from young adults claiming disability
Social Security now generally expects at least twelve months of medical history, counted back from the date of a claim, when a person between 18 and about 25 applies for disability benefits. The rule is in Social Security Ruling 26-2p, which the agency began applying on October 1, 2026, to new applications and to claims…
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October 2 was the federal deadline for telling Medicare Advantage members their plan is ending
October 2, 2026 was the date by which Medicare Advantage insurers had to notify members whose plans end after December 31. A federal rule sets the deadline at 90 calendar days before a non-renewal takes effect, and it falls 13 days before Open Enrollment opens on October 15. Whether a letter has reached the mailbox…
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Alabama gains 15 Medicare Advantage plans next year and Arizona gains 15 more
Two Sun Belt states are moving against the national tide in Medicare Advantage. Alabama goes from 98 plans in 2026 to 113 in 2027, and Arizona goes from 133 to 148, a gain of 15 each. The counts come from the federal agency that runs Medicare, in state-by-state fact sheets released with the 2027 plan…