Nearly 392,000 Minnesota seniors will lose their current Medicare Advantage plan for 2027 according to the state's board on aging.
In addition, many have not yet selected a new plan, mainly because there's still a lot of confusion about Medicare advantage plans going away.
Open enrollment for Medicare plans began in mid-October, and enrollees are facing a slew of changes that will go into effect in 2027. For older adults in the United States, the rising cost of healthcare is hitting where it hurts most — their pocketbooks. With Medicare costs, prescription drug prices and long-term care expenses weighing on household budgets, their concerns could carry significant political weight heading into Tuesday's elections.
Laurel Heppner is an insurance broker with the Heppner Group.
"People are shopping and we get that however, there, there is a little bit of a sense of urgency because we do have some of the carriers out there that are putting enrollment caps on their plans."
The board of aging is reporting that some Medicare Advantage plans are reducing the number of counties where they’re offered, while others are being discontinued entirely.
Heppner says it's important to not wait too long.
"You're gonna get to a point where you're not gonna have an opportunity to talk to anybody because I can tell you our schedules are really filling up," Heppner adds. "I know there's other agencies out there that that are completely full and aren't taking anybody new."
During the enrollment period, people are considering higher Part D out-of-pocket caps, the end of temporary federal Part D premium subsidies, and new drug price negotiations. Additionally, in some states, insurers put caps on the number of people who can enroll in Advantage plans, pulling out of markets or eliminating plans that people have come to rely on.
Juliette Cubanski, director of KFF’s program on Medicare policy, told The Associated Press that the open enrollment period offers enrollees “an opportunity to evaluate the coverage they have and see if there might be better options for them in terms of accessing the care that they need, at possibly a lower cost.”
While Weigand is grateful to have the mental acuity to do the research and the spiritual community that she relies on, she worries about other older people who are struggling to plan for the year ahead. “There are so many changes, and a lot of people my age who don’t know where to start," she says. "What do they do?”
