Category: Medicare
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HonorHealth hospitals and doctors in the Phoenix area leave AZ Blue’s Best Life HMO Medicare Advantage network on January 1, 2027
HonorHealth, the nine-hospital health system in the Phoenix area, says that as of January 1, 2027 all of its employed physicians, specialists and facilities will be out of network for AZ Blue Best Life (HMO), a Medicare Advantage plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. AZ Blue had already removed HonorHealth primary care doctors…
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Medicare Part D enrollees in the Prescription Payment Plan are renewed automatically for 2027 unless they opt out or switch plans
People enrolled in Medicare’s Prescription Payment Plan do not have to sign up again to keep it in 2027. The plan renews their participation automatically each year, unless they opt out or move to a different drug plan. Medicare’s September 2026 fact sheet says each year the enrollee’s plan will automatically renew participation in the…
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Seniors whose Medicare Advantage plan ends December 31 can buy certain Medigap policies without health questions if they apply within 63 days of losing coverage
People whose Medicare Advantage plan ends on December 31 can buy certain Medigap supplement policies without answering a single health question. The protection does not last forever. It opens before the plan ends and closes a little over two months afterward. Medicare.gov says the right starts as early as 60 days before coverage ends and…
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Cleveland Clinic’s Ohio hospitals and doctors leave Anthem’s Medicare Advantage and employer-plan networks on January 1, 2027 if no new contract is reached
Cleveland Clinic’s Ohio hospitals and doctors will no longer be in network for certain Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield members starting January 1, 2027, if the two sides do not reach a new contract. The warning covers Anthem’s Medicare Advantage plans and its employer-sponsored plans. Nothing has changed yet. On its accepted-insurance page, Cleveland…
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Original Medicare enrollees without direct deposit will be sent Treasury paper checks for the one-time $90 Part B rebate later this month, CMS says
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says Original Medicare enrollees who have no direct deposit on file will get their one-time $90 Part B rebate as a paper check from the U.S. Treasury later in October. Most of the 20.8 million people eligible were scheduled to get a Social Security direct deposit on or…
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Seniors leaving Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare outside a guaranteed-issue window can be refused Medigap, and Original Medicare alone has no yearly cap on costs
Seniors who drop a Medicare Advantage plan for Original Medicare can find the door to Medigap closed. Medicare.gov says there is no federal guarantee that an insurance company will sell a Medigap policy outside a short list of protected situations, and a company can turn down an applicant over health. Original Medicare on its own…
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Florida and Alabama Medicare enrollees whose equipment was damaged by Hurricane Isaias can get it replaced under the October 13 health emergency
People with Medicare in Florida and Alabama who lost or damaged medical equipment in Hurricane Isaias can have it replaced. The federal government opened that door when a public health emergency was declared for both states on October 13. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it will permit people with Medicare to receive…
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Original Medicare Part B enrollees in randomly chosen areas could pay lower coinsurance on some drugs from April 2027 under Trump’s GLOBE drug-pricing rule
Some people in Original Medicare could pay a smaller share of the bill for certain expensive drugs starting April 1, 2027. The Trump administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finished a new drug-pricing rule called GLOBE on October 2, and it takes effect November 30, 2026. Who benefits depends on where a person…
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Single Medicare enrollees earning up to $1,350 a month with savings under $9,950 can get their full $202.90 Part B premium paid through a Medicare Savings Program in 2026
A single Medicare enrollee with income of $1,350 a month or less and savings under $9,950 can have the entire Part B premium paid by the state. In 2026 that premium is $202.90 a month, which adds up to $2,434.80 over a year for someone who pays it out of a Social Security check. The…
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UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members whose plans end January 1 fall back to Original Medicare if they don’t choose, and can rejoin a plan through February 28, 2027
A UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage member whose plan ends on January 1, 2027 and who picks nothing lands in Original Medicare on that date. UnitedHealthcare’s 2027 service area reductions FAQ says members of discontinued plans “will automatically return to Original Medicare on Jan. 1, 2027” if they do not enroll in another plan. Those who land…