Private Medicare Plans Are Raising Costs And Forcing Millions To Find New Insurance

Millions of people with private Medicare coverage are being forced to change their insurance for 2027 and will pay higher prices for prescriptions and medical care, prompting some experts to warn that more older Americans will face greater financial hardship.

Major insurers, like UnitedHealth, Centene and state Blue Cross plans, have shuttered plans that they viewed as unprofitable in certain markets, leaving some people with fewer choices of policies, and even more limited choices of doctors in 2027. In some rural counties from Oregon to New Hampshire, older Americans shopping for private Medicare Advantage plans will find that options have vanished completely or are dwindling to just a few plans.

Overall, as open enrollment begins this month, roughly five million people will be forced to switch plans because their current policy has been canceled or is no longer offered in the county where they live, according to an estimate from Duos, a health technology firm. Other estimates are lower, but analysts who have been studying the issue said cancellations would probably surpass the number this year, which was the highest on record.

Dependent on Social Security and other fixed incomes, recipients also will be paying substantially more in out-of-pocket costs next year when they need a prescription drug or go to a doctor or hospital.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/business/medicare-private-health-care-costs.html