“We examined our Medicare portfolio and made necessary adjustments to help maintain long-term stability in the market amid multiple financial pressures,” Eagan-based Blue Cross said in a statement.
A Star Tribune review of federal data plus the Medicare Plan Finder website shows roughly 200,000 enrollees across the state are losing their current Medicare Advantage plans. That’s primarily due to a huge statewide pullback at Minneapolis-based health insurer UCare, plus smaller exits from specific counties by Blue Cross, HealthPartners, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.
Double-digit premium increases are coming for another 200,000 people in Medicare Advantage plans, according to the Star Tribune review, if they don’t switch to different coverage.
One UnitedHealthcare plan with about 20,000 current enrollees, for example, will see premiums increase by 42%, from $66 to $94 per month. The company noted, however, that most UnitedHealthcare members paying premiums for plans this year will have access to a different option with a $0 premium next year.
“2026 is a pivotal moment for the Medicare Advantage program,” said Bobby Hunter, UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive of government programs, during a call with reporters last month. “We are making tough decisions ... in response to the [Medicare] funding cuts and the medical cost pressures that are significantly impacting the program.”