Medicare Advantage plan withdrawals prompt enrollment choices
A number of Medicare Advantage plans will not be offered next year, and some counties will have no such plans available. During open enrollment through Dec. 7, affected seniors should compare their coverage options. Private insurers can leave markets, and millions of enrollees may need to choose a new plan.
Private insurers administer these plans and can exit areas they deem unprofitable, a pattern research in JAMA says has grown over three years. KFF found 193 counties—mostly rural—will have no such plan next year, up from about 120 previously. Metro areas including Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston and Portland will also see notably fewer choices.
Roughly 35 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. Estimates suggest at least 2 million, and possibly up to 5 million, enrollees are in plans ending this year. If affected seniors take no action, they may be moved into another private plan or traditional Medicare without supplemental or prescription coverage.
The disruption could weigh most on older adults in rural counties and on those with limited time or assistance to compare plans. Losing a familiar plan may force hurried choices about premiums, provider networks, and drug coverage, while enrollment caps could leave some with fewer acceptable options. Communities may also feel pressure as local providers adjust to shifting plan participation, though the scale and duration of those effects remain uncertain.