UCare terminates Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 amid financial turmoil
UCare, one of the largest providers of privatized Medicare plans in
The
“This decision was not made lightly,” UCare CEO
With Medicare’s annual enrollment period set to start in just over a month, UCare’s decision to not offer MA coverage in 2026 will transform the state’s private Medicare market at a time when insures face financial challenges from increases in health care service use and stagnant payment rates they say are insufficient.
UCare serves patients with publicly funded or subsidized health insurance. The insurer will continue offering supplemental plans for traditional Medicare, as well as MinnesotaCare coverage, special needs plans, and individual and family plans on MNsure.
In 2025, UCare had the second-highest enrollment in the state for MA plans.
For decades, health insurers competed to grow their MA businesses, which have become as popular as original Medicare administered by the federal government. But earlier this year, UCare stopped offering commissions for brokers who signed up new MA members.
UCare had an operating loss in 2023, which ballooned to more than
UCare said in its statement Thursday that the cost of health care has dramatically increased in the past two years. Now, UCare is focusing its resources “on programs where it can have the most impact” to maintain stability, the nonprofit added.
Earlier this year the nonprofit health maintenance organization (HMO) had said it would stop providing state and federally funded Medicaid coverage in 11 counties, including
Medicaid is the largest business line at UCare, which said it will continue managing benefits for about 250,000 enrollees in the government program following the
This developing story will be updated.
©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC


FED IN FOCUS, SEPT. 4, 2025
UCare terminates Medicare Advantage plans for next year and lays off more than 140
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