As a result of these contract terminations, thousands of Medicare Advantage members are forced to choose between finding new doctors or switching insurance plans, often through special enrollment periods granted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
…After several anxious weeks, Neary learned Humana and Baylor were parting ways as of this year, and he was forced to choose between the two. Because the breakup happened during the annual fall enrollment period for Medicare Advantage, he was able to pick a new Advantage plan with coverage starting Jan. 1, a day after his Humana plan ended.
Other Advantage members who lose providers are not as lucky. Although disputes between health systems and insurers happen all the time, members are usually locked into their plans for the year and restricted to a network of providers, even if that network shrinks. Unless members qualify for what’s called a special enrollment period, switching plans or returning to traditional Medicare is allowed only at year’s end, with new coverage starting in January.
Jaffe, S. (2025, April 28). When hospitals ditch Medicare advantage plans, thousands of members get to leave, too – KFF Health News. KFF Health News. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/hospitals-abandon-medicare-advantage-plans-members-quit-too/
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