CMS is delaying a Medicare Advantage supplement benefits notification rule that was slated to start in 2026. The pause affects MA organizations that would have sent annual notifications between June 30 and July 31 to enrollees about unused benefits, according…
Medicare Advantage
UnitedHealthcare is expecting 78% of its Medicare Advantage membership to be enrolled in plans rated 4 stars or above in 2026. The company told regulators on Sept. 8 that while star ratings data is not yet final, it intends to…
For more than two years, Becker’s has reported on the intensifying trend of Medicare Advantage reimbursement fights between hospitals and insurers that has contributed to a dizzying and ever-changing environment for older adults to navigate each enrollment period. Now, that…
Elevance Health is cutting some Medicare Advantage plans — affecting about 150,000 members next year — and fully exiting standalone Part D plans in 2026. “We made the decision to exit some plans and counties where we did not see…
CMS’ progress toward expanding its team of medical coders to audit more Medicare Advantage plans is unclear, Bloomberg reported Sept. 5. In May, the agency said it would audit every MA plan for potential overpayments annually, in what was described…
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UCare has asked CMS to mutually terminate its Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, citing rising medical costs and challenges within the broader market. “This decision was not made lightly,” President and CEO Hilary Marden-Resnik said Sept. 4 “UCare remains deeply…
Samaritan Health Plans, the insurance arm of Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services, will exit the Medicare Advantage market in 2026, the Lincoln Chronicle reported Sept. 3. Bruce Butler, CEO of Samaritan Health Plans, told Becker’s in a statement that the…
A group representing nonprofit health plans is raising concerns over what it claims is a wide variation in Medicare Advantage risk adjustment scores across insurers, leading to what it calls a “gaming” of MA payments to the benefit of for-profit…
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming is entering the Medicare Advantage market for 2026 coverage. In its inaugural year, WyoBlue Advantage will be available to Medicare-eligible residents in 22 of Wyoming’s 23 counties. The company will offer both a Medicare-only…
Californians enrolled in Medicare Advantage are facing slower growth in healthcare costs compared to those in traditional Medicare, according to new research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Five notes: 1. Between 2013 and 2023, average monthly healthcare…