Why loosing your Medicare Advantage Plan Could be A Good Thing

Have you received a letter telling you that your Medicare Advantage Plan won't be offered in 2026? It could be better news than it sounds.

Every year in Oregon, Medicare Advantage Plan members receive letters in the mail detailing the upcoming changes to their plans. Monthly premiums can go up, co-pays due when you visit the doctor can change, prescription drugs can be added or dropped from the plan's list of covered drugs, and the extra benefits like dental, vision, hearing, or grocery cards can all be altered every year.

Most of these changes are not a significant source of concern; people who have had Medicare Advantage plans for a few years have come to expect little changes from year-to-year. But there is one change which might make anyone's heart drop when they receive the letter:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Your Medicare plan won't be offered in 2026.

It's easy to understand why you would be concerned when you receive this letter, searching for a new Medicare Advantage Plan brings along headaches and a myriad of questions:

• What if my doctor doesn't accept my new plan?

• How will this affect my prescription drug coverage?

• What if the plan I choose goes away next year and I have to start all over?

Even though these questions can be uncomfortable to deal with, losing your Medicare Advantage Plan could be better news than you think for one simple reason:

When your Medicare Advantage Plan is no longer offered, you are entitled to a Guaranteed-Issue Medicare Supplement Plan

Even though Medicare Supplement Plans have a higher monthly cost than most Medicare Advantage Plans, it's no secret that Supplement Plans can be an appealing option for some. They offer drastically lower out-of-pocket costs, they are not restricted by any networks, they do not require prior authorizations (in Oregon), and most plans have no co-pays.

Despite these benefits, many people are scared off by the higher price of Medicare Supplement Plans when they first sign up for Medicare, but eventually realize they would have preferred the predictable and flexible coverage offered by the Supplement Plan. By the time the realization is made, however, it can be too late. People with major health concerns are generally not able to qualify for a Medicare Supplement plan if they do not sign up when they first join Medicare.

This is where loosing your Medicare Advantage Plan could be a good thing. When your Medicare Advantage Plan leaves your area, you become entitled to a guaranteed-issue period in which the Supplement Plan can't ask any heath questions in the application and can not deny your application for any pre-existing conditions.

Loosing your Medicare Advantage Plan gives you a second chance to enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan, regardless of your health.

If you have recently been notified your Medicare Advantage Plan will not be offered in 2026, reach out to our team to find out what options are available for next year. You just might be pleasantly surprised to see how many new options you have.

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