Medicare Advantage annual enrollment kicked off Oct. 15, and the ACA open enrollment period is around the corner. Employers are also navigating cost pressures, opening the door to innovative plans.
Insurers have been primed to consider new health plans across commercial and government programs, and many are biting.
Not every organization rolling out health plans in the coming years is a traditional insurer, however. For example, Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation are entering the MA market.
The trend has extended to the employer space. Tech-enabled healthcare company Included Health said it will introduce health plans for self-insured employers Jan. 1, 2028, following its acquisition of Firefly Health, a clinically integrated health plan and advanced primary care company. Health technology and benefits administration platform Judi Health is launching a Medicare Part D Employer Group Waiver Plan, as well.
Here are five insurers that recently announced new plans:
- Oscar Insurance announced RetireEase, an individual plan for retirees ages 55-64, on Oct. 20. The company cited a KFF analysis showing the age group made up more than 22% of ACA marketplace plan selections in 2026. The plan features set prices for preventive visits, lab work, physical therapy, heart care and bone-and-joint care, as well as $0 generic medications. Oscar rolled out RetireEase for the Arizona, Florida, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas markets.
- Centene’s Ambetter Health is rolling out new Enhanced Congestive Heart Failure Care plans in North Carolina and Ohio as part of its 2027 marketplace offerings. With the plans, eligible members can access some heart failure medications, some mental health medications, nicotine replacement therapy and up to four cardiologist visits per year for $0. These members also get covered cholesterol labs, electrocardiograms, cardiac education and nutritional counseling.
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan is offering a new Value HMO product for large employers starting Jan. 1. The HMO will have a high-value provider network, instead of a broader network. The HMO includes access to hospitals and affiliated providers under Somerville-based Mass General Brigham, along with other health systems in Eastern Massachusetts.
- SCAN Health Plan is launching several new MA plans for 2027 through retailer and provider partnerships. The insurer is working with Costco, Walmart and assisted-living provider The Springs Living on plans. SCAN is expanding into Oregon through its collaboration with The Springs Living, while the Costco and Walmart co-branded plans will be available in current SCAN states.
- Capital Blue Cross and Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke’s University Health Network launched the Valley Advantage EPO in June, initially available to employers in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh and Northampton counties with more than 100 employees. Companies with fewer than 100 employees can access the plan in 2027.
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