Bureau of Insurance Advises Consumers to Prepare for Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans

Bureau of Insurance Advises Consumers to Prepare for Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans

The Maine Bureau of Insurance advises Mainers enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans to prepare for changes in 2026. Several health insurers are reducing the number of Medicare Advantage plans they offer in Maine or exiting certain areas of the state. A list of Medicare Advantage plans available in each county in 2026 can be found here.

Insurance companies will notify members about changes, and affected members that receive a notice of termination should keep the document for their records.

Members enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that will not be offered in 2026 will remain covered under their plan through December 31, 2025. While members of discontinued Medicare Advantage plans have 90 days from the date their plan exits the market to choose a new Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement plan, these members should enroll in another plan during the Annual Open Enrollment period, which runs from October 15 through December 7, to have coverage take effect on January 1, 2026.

The Bureau of Insurance strongly encourages members of discontinued plans to select a new Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement plan by December 2025, since a plan selected in January 2026 will not begin coverage until February 2026, and a plan selected in February 2026 will not begin coverage until March 2026.

Before selecting a new Medicare Advantage plan, carefully review the details of the plan. Members must make sure their doctors, other health care providers, and hospital are in the health plan’s network, and check to make sure their prescription drugs are covered. Not all Medicare Advantage plans have the same networks of health care providers, and not all plans cover the same prescription drugs. Once that is complete, members should call 1-800-MEDICARE to sign up for the new plan.

Medicare Advantage plan members whose plans are not being terminated, but who wish to change plans, can choose another Medicare Advantage plan during the October 15 through December 7 Annual Enrollment Period.

Members of discontinued plans may also select Medicare Supplement plans, which have no network restrictions and are accepted everywhere Medicare is accepted. Information on these plans can be found here. Members enrolled in a discontinued Medicare Advantage plan have 90 days from the date their coverage ends to choose a Medicare Supplement plan without medical underwriting. If coverage ends December 31, 2025, the affected member has until March 31, 2026 to select a Medicare Supplement plan without a medical history review.

If members decide to leave the Medicare Advantage market and return to Original Medicare with Medicare Supplement for 2026, members should also enroll in Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. The Bureau strongly advises members to choose a Medicare Supplement plan and a prescription drug plan during the Annual Enrollment Period.

Whether enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Supplement plan, members are reminded to share information on their new health insurance plan with all of their health care providers.

Members can get free, unbiased help from the State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) at the Area Agencies on Aging at 1-877-353-3771 or TTY: 711, 8 am – 4:30 pm Monday-Friday.

Members can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, part of the Federal Government) or TTY: 1-877-486-2048 for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week – once the Federal shut-down ends. You can also look online at https://www.medicare.gov/, using the “Find Plans Now” link.

Maine Bureau of Insurance/Department of Professional & Financial Regulation US Mail Address: 34 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333 Physical Address: 76 Northern Avenue, Gardiner, Maine 04345 Phone: (207) 624-8475 or 800-300-5000 (in Maine); TTY: Maine Relay 711 Email: [email protected] Web: www.maine.gov/insurance
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