Memorial Hermann Health Plan is closing its Medicare Advantage plan on Dec. 31, 2026, and Houston-area members have to line up other coverage before the new year. A member who does nothing does not keep the plan. The member is left with Original Medicare, which pays hospital and doctor bills but carries no drug coverage of its own.
That default is where the costs start. A late move can leave weeks with no plan at all, and it can start a lifelong penalty clock on prescription coverage. The dates below show how close those two risks sit to each other.
Memorial Hermann Health Plan says it will wind down and close the Memorial Hermann Medicare Advantage Plan, with coverage running through Dec. 31, 2026. Members get a special enrollment period that runs through Feb. 28, 2027. The plan lists two customer service lines, (855) 645-8448 and (877) 364-2789. Members who have not yet picked a replacement should decide which of three paths fits their doctors and prescriptions: another Medicare Advantage plan, a stand-alone drug plan with Original Medicare, or Original Medicare with a Medigap policy.
Stay ahead of Medicare plan news: Miss an enrollment or claim deadline and the money can be gone. Join the Retirement Money Brief and we’ll send you our 2027 Medicare Plan-Change Checklist as a welcome gift.
Get the Brief + the plan-change checklist →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
What happens to a member who picks nothing?
Medicare Advantage stands in for Original Medicare through a private plan. When the plan disappears, the member’s Medicare Part A and Part B remain, and those two parts are Original Medicare. Doctors who accept Medicare take it, and the government pays its share.
What ends is whatever the plan layered on top. Any bundled drug coverage, extra benefits and the plan’s yearly cap on out-of-pocket costs go with it. Original Medicare has no such cap, so a hospital stay without a Medigap policy or other supplement can leave a large bill.
Why does a January or February sign-up leave a gap?
The special enrollment period runs to Feb. 28, 2027, but a later deadline does not mean continuous coverage. Medicare.gov says that for a special enrollment period, coverage generally starts the first of the month after the plan gets the request to join. A request that reaches a new plan in December generally starts Jan. 1. A request in January generally starts Feb. 1, and one in February generally starts March 1.
The weeks in between have no plan. Original Medicare still pays for hospital and doctor care in that stretch, but anything that depended on the old plan’s drug benefit or network falls on the member. Iowa’s Insurance Division, writing to residents of canceled plans there, gives Dec. 31 as the deadline to select new coverage with no gap starting Jan. 1. The same calendar logic applies to Houston members.
How close is the drug-plan penalty line?
Medicare.gov says the Part D late enrollment penalty is an extra 1% for each month for people who go 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage. The penalty is based on the national base beneficiary premium, listed at $38.99 for 2026, and it stays for as long as the person has Medicare drug coverage, even after switching plans.
By a simple count, Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 is 59 days, just under the 63-day line. That leaves little room. A member who lets the special enrollment period lapse, or whose request is processed late, can cross it. Coverage that counts as creditable, such as drug coverage from a current employer or union plan, can change the math, so a member with another source should ask that plan before relying on it.
Is the Medigap route open, and for how long?
A member who prefers Original Medicare has one more protection. Medicare.gov says that when a Medicare Advantage plan stops covering a member, the member can buy any Medigap policy an insurer offers in the state. The application window starts 60 days before the plan coverage ends and runs no more than 63 days after it ends.
Kristin Griffith, who directs Iowa’s SHIIP-SMP counseling program, called the ability to switch from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare with guaranteed issue a rare opportunity. Guaranteed issue means the insurer cannot turn the application down or charge more over health conditions. Medicare.gov adds that these rights can last longer in some circumstances and points members to the state insurance department for details.
Where do Houston members compare replacement plans?
Medicare’s own Plan Finder lists the Medicare Advantage and drug plans sold at a given ZIP code. A member can enter current prescriptions and compare the yearly cost under each plan. Open enrollment for 2027 plans ends Dec. 7, and the Memorial Hermann special enrollment period sets the outer limit at Feb. 28.
Members with questions about the closing can call the plan at (855) 645-8448 or (877) 364-2789. A neutral second opinion on plan choice is available at 1-800-MEDICARE.
Losing the Memorial Hermann plan on Dec. 31?
The cleanest outcome is a new plan request in hand before the year ends, so coverage starts Jan. 1 and no weeks fall between.
For a Memorial Hermann member, the risk is a quiet one. Nothing breaks on Dec. 31 until a bill or a pharmacy counter shows the old plan’s benefits are gone. A January start date and a drug penalty both come from waiting.
The Medicare Money Bundle puts all 8 Medicare guides in one download, with large print. Open Enrollment in an Afternoon walks through Plan Finder in one sitting and ends with a keep-or-switch answer. Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage lays out Medigap rights and state rules, with both paths priced.
Get the Medicare Money Bundle for the Memorial Hermann plan closing →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the 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.
