Daren Wysocki, 68, opened a letter from Blue Cross this month telling him the Medicare Advantage plan he lives on near Deerwood, Minnesota, will not be offered in 2027. He is far from alone. MPR News reports that nearly 390,000 Minnesotans received discontinuation notices this month.
Minnesota has just over a million people on Medicare, MPR reports, so the notices reach a large share of them. The same reporting says Crow Wing County, in the north-central part of the state, will have no Medicare Advantage plan from any insurer in 2027.
Wysocki’s $150 estimate
Wysocki told MPR News that he will switch to Original Medicare, buy a Medigap policy and enroll in a separate prescription drug plan. By his estimate, the combination will cost at least $150 more a month than his current plan. That figure is his own, not a statewide average.
He also worries about neighbors who follow the news less closely. “Less-informed seniors” in his county, he said, could be left with no direction when their plans disappear. The article describes this as the second straight year many Minnesotans have had to reassess their coverage.
Which insurers are pulling back
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is restructuring all of its Medicare Advantage plans. Its president and chief executive, Dana Erickson, said: “In just the past three years, our company has lost more than $500 million on Medicare alone.” Insurers broadly blame rising medical and pharmacy costs.
Humana is ending its individual Medicare Advantage plans in Minnesota. A spokesperson said the company had fewer than 10,000 members in the state last year, and it will keep offering Medicare coverage only through employer and other group plans. HealthPartners, UnitedHealthcare and Medica are also ending contracts or changing where they sell.
That leaves the practical question for anyone holding one of those letters: what to pick before December 7 when the plan they know is gone? Maureen Schneider, chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging, told MPR there are “really quite a number of serious concerns this year,” including whether doctors, drugs and pharmacies stay in network.
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Not every notice means the same thing
In a segment of MPR’s Minnesota Now, the news organization reports, some plans are leaving Minnesota entirely, some are leaving certain counties, and some are moving enrollees into new plans, a process called crosswalking. A letter can therefore mean a clean exit or a swap into a plan the member never chose.
The segment urged seniors to read their plan mail closely during open enrollment. Schneider said that in the 2025 open enrollment season, people who used Aging Pathways saved more than $13 million a year in total, including almost $7 million on prescription drug coverage.
Crow Wing County and the empty map
MPR says no insurer will offer a Medicare Advantage plan in Crow Wing County next year, citing a KFF analysis. For residents, the choice that remains is Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and a separate drug plan, the same path Wysocki is taking.
The national picture shows how unusual that is. KFF’s county analysis, published October 9, counted 193 counties with no Medicare Advantage drug plan for general enrollment in 2027, covering about 638,000 beneficiaries, or 1% of Medicare. That is up from 123 counties and 399,000 people in 2026.
Original Medicare, Medigap and the 63 days
Medicare Advantage plans typically carry lower premiums and extras such as dental, vision and hearing, MPR notes, but rely on networks and can mean higher out-of-pocket costs and prior authorization. Original Medicare lets people see any doctor or hospital nationwide that accepts Medicare, generally without referrals.
Medigap is the private policy that helps cover those out-of-pocket costs. Medicare’s Medigap page says people whose Medicare Advantage plan will no longer cover where they live have the right to buy any Medigap policy sold in their state. The window runs from 60 days before coverage ends to no more than 63 days after.
MPR adds that people whose plans are discontinued may qualify for a special enrollment period. The rules differ by situation, so the date on the notice and the date coverage ends decide which clock applies. Most people on Original Medicare also need separate drug coverage, MPR says.
Free help before the lines get long
Minnesota’s free enrollment help is Aging Pathways, run by the Minnesota Board on Aging, at 800-333-2433, according to an MPR radio segment. Schneider said calls to the service rose from about 30,000 in 2024 to more than 54,000 in 2025.
MPR reports that last year the longest wait near the deadline was 3 hours and 46 minutes. Medicare’s own joining a plan page gives the dates: open enrollment is October 15 to December 7, with coverage starting January 1. For a Minnesotan holding a discontinuation notice, the open question is what to pick before the 7th.
Holding a Minnesota Medicare Advantage notice before Dec. 7?
A discontinuation letter starts a clock, and the plan that replaces the old one decides which doctors, drugs and pharmacies stay covered on January 1. Wysocki’s own estimate of at least $150 more a month shows what a rushed switch can cost.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus a prescription-by-plan comparison. Part 4, the Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints, is built for people weighing Original Medicare.
Price a switch from a canceled Minnesota plan in a Decision Kit cost calculator →
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
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.
