Area cuts to Medicare Advantage plans leave seniors with few options

SANDPOINT — Seniors across North Idaho received a startling notice about their Medicare Advantage plans earlier this month, alerting them that their plan would no longer be available next year.

Across Bonner and Boundary counties, Medicare Advantage offerings are shrinking by more than 50%, going from 37 plans in 2025 to 14 in 2026. Colleen Clark, program supervisor for the Idaho Department of Insurance's Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors, said that the nationwide issue is due to the rising cost of healthcare and federal regulations.

The effects are being felt in Boundary County, where United Healthcare will become the only insurance agency that is offering Medicare Advantage plans. That leaves seniors like Mary Ollie, of Bonners Ferry, scrambling to find a plan that works for her before the Dec. 15 deadline to enroll.

"I didn't think I was in any kind of situation, so when I received a letter on Oct. 1 that... basically said that my Medicare plan would not be offered in 2026 and I thought 'Hm, what's going on here?'" Ollie said.

While not as severe as Boundary County, Bonner County seniors will feel the effects as well. Clark said that Regency Insurance has pulled all their Medicare Advantage plans for the state of Idaho, while Blue Cross Idaho ended all their current plans, but will be offering three new plans in 2026.

Clark advised seniors on plans that are ending to discuss their current options with a trusted local agent. She said that if their plan is ending, they would be able to sign up for Medicare supplements with no backpay that could help seniors cover the costs of their care.

Clark said anytime insurance companies want to make significant changes to their Medicare Advantage plans, they must cancel the current plans.

"I don't think that there is a cause for concern," Clark said. "Idaho still has quite a bit of options; we've seen states that only have one Medicare Advantage options or high-cost options."

Yet for seniors, finding an insurance representative that can walk them through the process of finding a new plan has been challenging. In Boundary County, Ollie said that she was unable to find an insurance broker in the county who would talk to her about a United Healthcare plan.

Carey Spears, owner of Spears Insurance, said United Healthcare AARP isn't working with agents and that those in Boundary County will need to go through the federal Medicare or United Healthcare's line.

"I go online and I look at medicare.gov and they get all these charts. It's a bit confusing because I want to know a little more detail and it's not there," Ollie said. "Having an insurance broker who could explain to me the fine points of a policy is very important. So here we are, we have no live person who wants to do that."

Spears said only one insurance company, Blue Cross of Idaho, has committed to paying insurance agents commission. She said that her business cannot ask for consultation fees for people on Medicare Advantage plans and while she is committed to helping people find the right plan, it presents a dilemma.

"I don't know how long we can stay open while being paid nothing," Spears said.

Clark said that any seniors whose Medicare Advantage plan is ending will have the option to switch to a Medicare supplement plan. However, Ollie said that she hopes to remain on Medicare Advantage because she prefers its simplicity and price to the other options.

On a base Medicare plan, Ollie said she would absorb 20% of the costs, which leaves her unable to properly budget for healthcare costs.

"If I could predict the future and realize it's a low-cost year, 20% of maybe $5,000 costs... might be doable," Ollie said. "20% of $500,000 would catch your hair on fire."

Ollie described the overall process of searching for a new plan as "frustrating" and said that it brought her more awareness of how difficult the healthcare system can be to navigate.

"We need to work together to fix things because I don't think this is about me or any other folks in my age group, I think it's about all of us," Ollie said. "The lesson was brought home to me in kind of a hard form when I got the letter."

Clark said that there could be further changes coming to plans in 2027 and that those with questions can reach out to the Idaho Department of Insurance's Medicare help line at 1-800-247-4422 for assistance.