Major insurer to discontinue Medicare health plan in Stanislaus County. What to know

UnitedHealthcare will discontinue its Medicare managed-care plans in Stanislaus County, effective Jan. 1.

A few thousand Medicare recipients covered by UnitedHealthcare will need to sign up with another insurer to continue Medicare Advantage benefits.

More than 3.5 million people in California are in Medicare Advantage plans, which are government-subsidized insurance plans that cap the out-of-pocket costs of the Medicare program. Medicare Advantage plans usually expect beneficiaries to use a network of physicians and hospitals and include prescription drug coverage, dental, hearing and vision care.

Reuters reported that UnitedHealthcare will cease offering Medicare Advantage plans in 109 counties in the United States. About 180,000 people in the Medicare program will be affected. UnitedHealthcare indicated notifications were sent to customers Oct. 2.

In Stanislaus County, the three Medicare managed-care plans called AARP Medicare Advantage United Health HMO, available in previous years, will not be offered in this county in 2026, according to Medicare.gov. Two of the plans contracted with Sutter Health and AllCare for physician services and with Memorial Medical Center. The other plan’s network included AllCare, Memorial, Doctors Medical Center and Emanuel hospital in Turlock.

People who were enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare plans can change to another insurance provider during Medicare’s fall enrollment period, Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

The Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) in Modesto will hold a forum at 9 a.m. Oct. 17 to inform people about changes to the Medicare program effective Jan. 1. The forum will be held at the Stanislaus Veterans Center, 3500 Coffee Road.

Along with officials from HICAP and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, representatives of the Medicare-approved Advantage plans in this county will speak at the forum and answer questions about plan benefits.

Advocates advise seniors to make sure the plan they select includes their doctors and covers their prescription drugs. The HICAP office was verifying the other Medicare Advantage plans that contract with Sutter and AllCare so comparisons are available at the Oct. 17 forum.

With the departure of UnitedHealthcare, the county still has nine insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans. The premiums ranged from zero to $97 per month in 2025.

Stanislaus County’s HICAP office provides assistance with navigating Medicare at 3500 Coffee Road, suite 19, Modesto, 209-558-4540.

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