Category: Medicare
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About 390,000 UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members are losing their plans for 2027, the company says, and can switch by December 7 or through February 28
UnitedHealthcare is ending Medicare Advantage plans for about 390,000 members at the end of 2026, the company says. Letters dated October 2, 2026 went to the people affected, and anyone who does nothing lands in Original Medicare on January 1, 2027. The 390,000 figure came from UnitedHealth spokesperson Eric Hausman, who told Healthcare Brew by…
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Medicare enrollees with Extra Help can join a stand-alone drug plan once a month, any month of the year, instead of waiting for open enrollment
People who get Medicare’s Extra Help with drug costs are not tied to the fall open-enrollment calendar for a stand-alone drug plan. They can switch once a month, any month of the year. The rule covers stand-alone Part D plans only, not Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage. How does the monthly switch work?…
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota ends most Medicare Advantage plans December 31 after more than $500 million in Medicare losses, and members can switch by December 7
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…
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Humana’s 2027 Medicare Advantage exits reach about 600,000 members, who can pick a new plan by December 7 or switch from December 8 through February 28
Humana is cutting Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, and the insurer’s own estimate is that the exits will reach approximately 600,000 members. Chief Financial Officer Celeste Mellet gave the number on the company’s second-quarter earnings call on July 29. Members who get an exit notice have until December 7 to pick new coverage that starts…
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Only 15 Medicare Advantage contracts earned five stars for 2027, down from 22
Fifteen Medicare Advantage contracts that include drug coverage earned the top five-star rating for 2027, down from 22 a year earlier, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency published the ratings on October 8, 2026, a week before Open Enrollment began. The drop comes as the number of rated contracts barely…
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Not one stand-alone Medicare drug plan earned five stars for 2027, after two did last year
No stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan earned five stars in the government’s 2027 quality ratings, which came out October 8. Two stand-alone plans held the top rating for 2026. The change lands in the middle of open enrollment, which started October 15 and runs through December 7, 2026. The ratings are published by the Centers…
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CHRISTUS Health Plan ends its three Medicare Advantage plans December 31, and the reward dollars members have not spent expire the same day
CHRISTUS Health Plan is ending its three Medicare Advantage plans on December 31, 2026, and any Rewards and Incentives dollars members have not spent expire the same day. Members who do nothing will be moved to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027. The plan’s own member page on 2027 coverage changes says the CHRISTUS member…
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October’s Medicare rebate check is labeled a Medicare Improvement Fund payment, and CMS says people on Medicare Advantage, Medicaid premium help or IRMAA are all left out
The Medicare rebate payment landing this October carries a specific label on the deposit or check: “Medicare Improvement Fund Payment; $90 Payment to Offset October Premium.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explained the payment in an October 3 question-and-answer fact sheet. The $90 is a flat, one-time payment, not an average and not…
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A random ZIP code lottery pulls about a quarter of Original Medicare’s Part B drug patients into a pricing test on April 1, with no notice and no opt-out
The federal government has finalized a Medicare drug pricing experiment that will cover about one in four people in Original Medicare, and the people picked will not be told. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) chose them by drawing ZIP code areas at random. The agency says there is no way to opt…
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Aetna will sell Medicare Advantage drug plans in 41 states and Washington, D.C., for 2027, two fewer states than it offers this year
Aetna, the insurer owned by CVS Health, says it will sell Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage in 41 states and Washington, D.C., for 2027. That is two fewer states than the 43 states and the District it covers this year. People on an Aetna plan in a state that drops off the list…