CMS is granting a special enrollment period to Medicare Advantage enrollees in northern Nevada affected by provider network changes at Kaiser Permanente.
On Dec. 13, Kaiser Nevada will terminate providers from its Senior Care Plus Medicare Advantage network, the Nevada Division of Insurance said Oct. 20. Senior Care Plus is a Medicare Advantage plan that was administered by Hometown Health, the insurance arm of Reno-based Renown Health, before Kaiser took majority ownership of Hometown Health as part of the two systems’ joint venture that formed in 2026. The changes affect members in Carson City, Storey and Washoe counties.
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser has been transitioning Senior Care Plus and some commercial HMO plans to its integrated care model, which requires primary care providers to be part of a coordinated Kaiser care team.
Members who are assigned to, currently receiving care from, or have received care in the past three months from a provider being dropped from the network are eligible for the special enrollment period. Those who use the window to switch to original Medicare will also be able to purchase Medigap policies.The special enrollment period begins the month members receive notice from their plan and runs for two calendar months after.
Kaiser informed members of the network changes in July and notified eligible members of the special enrollment period in early October, according to a statement shared with Becker’s from Bethany Sexton, health plan leader for Kaiser Permanente in Nevada. She said the changes were made before open enrollment so members would know which providers would be available in the 2027 network before selecting coverage.
“Eligible members may use this opportunity to select a new Medicare Advantage plan that contracts with their existing primary care provider immediately, without having to wait until January 2027,” Ms. Sexton said.
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