51,600 Vermonters Lose Medicare Advantage Plans

CMS data show nearly all Vermonters with individual Medicare Advantage plans will lose their current coverage for 2026 after UnitedHealth and Vermont Blue Advantage declined to renew, affecting more than 51,600 people (Vermont Blue covers about 26,000). Humana will remain only in limited counties, leaving most beneficiaries with traditional Medicare or needing to find new plans. Similar pullbacks are occurring in New Hampshire—Anthem and Martin’s Point are dropping individual MA plans and Aetna is shrinking its footprint—affecting roughly 77,000 residents and raising particular concern for rural areas. Changes to Part D low-income subsidies and shifts in drug-cost sharing mean some enrollees (for example, in New Mexico) may face new premiums or higher drug costs in 2026 as insurers pass costs to consumers. Officials urge beneficiaries to read SSA/CMS/plan notices, use state insurance departments and navigators for help, and note Medicare open enrollment runs Oct. 15–Dec. 31 with extra time to switch for those whose plans are discontinued. A MarketWatch correction highlighted earlier confusion about Medigap enrollment rules when an MA plan is shut down, underscoring the complexity beneficiaries will face.