The number of health systems that have walked away from at least one Medicare Advantage insurer has climbed to 34, according to a running tally kept by Becker’s Hospital Review. The count matters most heading into Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment window, when a plan whose network no longer includes a preferred hospital or cancer center turns from an abstract dispute into a decision an enrollee has to make. Two of the systems on Becker’s list, split months apart, show how differently these breaks can play out for a patient.
34 Systems, A Live Count
Becker’s Hospital Review’s tracker of health systems that have dropped or are dropping a Medicare Advantage insurer’s contract stood at 34 as of Sept. 23, 2026, according to Becker’s running count. The tracker is a live document that Becker’s updates as new contract disputes surface or resolve, so the number reflects that specific date rather than a fixed year-end total. A system can be added to the list, or drop off it if a deal gets renewed, at any point during the year.
Inside the decision kit: The cost calculator spreadsheet and the provider call script give someone whose hospital just left a plan’s network a concrete way to compare the alternative before Open Enrollment closes. Open The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit.
Two Of The 34, By Name
Moffitt Cancer Center went out of network with Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans on July 1, 2026, according to Becker’s tracker. Mount Sinai went out of network with Anthem’s Medicare Advantage plans earlier in the year, in January 2026, per the same tracker. The two cases sit months apart on Becker’s list, which is itself evidence of how the pattern has played out through 2026: not one wave of exits on a single date, but a steady drip of individual contract breaks that Becker’s has counted one system at a time. Becker’s tracker also notes at least one more system is set to go out of network with UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans on Oct. 1, 2026 absent a new agreement, without a new contract yet reported as of the tracker’s Sept. 23 update.
Why This Lands During Open Enrollment
The timing intersects directly with Medicare’s calendar. Open Enrollment “happens from October 15 – December 7” each year, according to Medicare’s own Open Enrollment page, with any changes made during that window taking effect Jan. 1. During that period, a Medicare Advantage enrollee can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, drop Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare, or add or drop drug coverage, and any beneficiary can move between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan, per the same Medicare page. For someone whose hospital system sits among Becker’s 34, Open Enrollment is the one guaranteed annual chance to act on that network change without waiting for a special circumstance to qualify. Medicare’s own guidance also flags a follow-on decision for anyone who leaves Medicare Advantage altogether during that window: switching to Original Medicare may mean separately enrolling in a standalone drug plan and considering supplemental Medigap coverage for additional out-of-pocket protection, per the same Medicare Open Enrollment page.
What A Dropped Contract Means For A Current Patient
A hospital system leaving a plan’s network doesn’t cancel anyone’s coverage, but it changes what that coverage is worth for care at that particular system. An enrollee who stays in a Medicare Advantage plan after their hospital goes out-of-network typically faces higher out-of-pocket costs for care there, or has to find a new in-network provider for the same services, the exact tradeoff Medicare’s Open Enrollment period exists to let beneficiaries evaluate against staying put. Becker’s count of 34 is the clearest public signal of how often that tradeoff is now coming up nationally, tallied one contract dispute at a time as of Sept. 23, 2026. Because the tracker updates as disputes are added or resolved, a system not on the list today is not guaranteed to stay off it, which is part of why Medicare structures Open Enrollment as an annual checkpoint rather than a one-time signup.
Comparing Plans Once A Hospital Leaves The Network
Becker’s count of 34 and Medicare’s Oct. 15-Dec. 7 calendar both exist, but neither tells any one enrollee whether their own hospital system is on that list or which alternative plan would keep their current doctors in-network for next year. That comparison has to be run plan by plan, against a specific provider list, inside a window that closes Dec. 7.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors using a prescription-by-plan comparison and the Open Enrollment calendar built for exactly that kind of check.
Compare the network options in The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit.
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
