Medicare changes in 2026 leave seniors facing tough choices

So, you thought last year’s Medicare Annual Enrollment Period was disruptive? 2026 is shaping up to be even more complicated for Medicare advocates like me.

Why? For starters, about 650,000 UnitedHealthcare members received “breakup letters” in recent days notifying them that their plans are exiting service areas. If members do nothing, they could wake up on New Year’s Day not only with a hangover, but also with no drug coverage and stuck paying 20% of unpredictable costs for the entire year.

That leaves two main options: accept a replacement Advantage plan from the same carrier that dropped you, or shop for a new carrier with a better plan. A stronger choice for many may be using your one-time Guaranteed Issue Right to enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan G or Plan F, both of which cover costs Medicare does not pay. Plan G carries a $257 annual deductible, but after that threshold is met, you pay nothing out of pocket for the year, with no restrictive provider network. That means if your health declines, you could seek care at places such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins or Emory, rather than being limited by insurer networks.

This brings me to another dilemma. Many of my Humana Advantage plan clients in Jasper and Beaufort counties use Ochsner Novant 65 Plus for primary or geriatric care. The catch? Ochsner Health accepts only Humana Medicare Advantage plans. So, if you’re with Aetna, UnitedHealthcare or another Advantage carrier, Ochsner is not an option. But if you do choose Humana, you won’t have access to South Carolina’s most prestigious hospital: MUSC Health, the Medical University of South Carolina.

So which trade-off do you make: keeping your Ochsner doctor but losing access to MUSC, or switching providers to get into MUSC? Here’s an alternative: consider a Plan N supplement. With it, you can see both providers without hospital bills and with minimal out-of-pocket costs, plus the freedom to go where you want without denials or prior authorizations.

There’s also some good news for Jasper County residents. A new player has entered the Advantage plan market: Devoted Health. While I usually wait a year before recommending a newly expanded company, Devoted stands out. Their star ratings are consistently above the national average of 3.9, with many new contracts already achieving 4 or more stars in their first year — something most new plans struggle to do. Unlike carriers such as UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna and Wellcare, Devoted is policyholder-focused, not stockholder-driven. Still, it’s worth waiting until October to review their provider network before making a decision.

In conclusion, if you haven’t read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC), do it now. The times really are changing — and you only have until Dec. 7th to make your choice.

A Lowcountry resident since 2004, Chris Dewey founded May River Medicare Insurance in 2013. For the past 15 years has helped thousands of seniors navigate the Medicare maze in the Lowcountry and is licensed as an independent broker in 46 states. Chris and his family live in Old Town Bluffton. mayrivermedicare.com