Two Medicare Advantage networks are widening at once, in different parts of the country. Aetna Medicare Advantage members in Virginia gain access to Sentara’s hospitals and care sites on Jan. 1, 2027, under an agreement Sentara announced Oct. 29. In Carson City, Nev., UnitedHealthcare members returned to Carson Tahoe Health on Nov. 1, according to the hospital’s own list of accepted insurance.
For anyone in one of those plans, the question is whether their own coverage is among the ones that gain. A Medicare Advantage member who has been avoiding a hospital because it was out of network now has a reason to ask the plan about 2027, and the open enrollment window to act on the answer closes Dec. 7.
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What does the Sentara and Aetna agreement cover?
Sentara says the new agreement, between its acute and ambulatory divisions and Aetna, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and covers Aetna Medicare Advantage and Aetna Better Health of Virginia, the company’s Medicaid plan. Members get access to Sentara’s providers, hospitals and sites of care across the system in Hampton Roads, Southwest Virginia and Northern Virginia. Sentara already accepted Aetna commercial members.
Rachelle Capps, Sentara’s vice president for managed care contracting, said the health system was pleased to expand the partnership with Aetna Better Health of Virginia and Aetna Medicare. Corey Pleasants, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Virginia, said expanding access to Sentara’s network gives members more choice. The release does not say what members need to do, and it does not mention enrollment.
Why did Carson Tahoe leave UnitedHealthcare in the first place?
Carson Tahoe sent UnitedHealthcare a notice of final termination in August 2024, according to Becker’s Payer Issues, covering both its commercial and Medicare Advantage contracts. The hospital’s member update page said Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare and Carson Tahoe Medical Group would be out of network after May 31, 2025. It listed UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans among those affected, including AARP Medicare Advantage and Optum’s Medicare Advantage network.
The hospital’s stated reason was that UnitedHealthcare’s processing of requests and claims “jeopardizes Carson Tahoe Health’s ability to provide appropriate care.” At the time, a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told the Record-Courier the company hoped Carson Tahoe shared its commitment to reaching an agreement. Medigap supplement policies were not affected by the exit.
The accepted-insurance page now lists UnitedHealthcare, for both Medicare Advantage and commercial coverage, with the words “effective November 1, 2026.” Neither Carson Tahoe nor UnitedHealthcare has published the terms of the return on the pages available, and the listing does not name which UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans are included.
Which patients are still losing Sentara?
The Aetna news sits next to a much bigger fight. Sentara’s page for Anthem members says nothing changes for Anthem members through at least Dec. 31, 2026, but Anthem Medicare Advantage and ACA Exchange members move to out-of-network status at Sentara on Jan. 1, 2027. Medicaid members move on Jan. 28, 2027. Commercial employer plans are not affected for now because those talks continue.
Sentara says patients in active cancer treatment or obstetrics care may keep in-network access further into 2027. For Medicare Advantage members who want to keep Sentara doctors, the page points to the plans-accepted list on Sentara’s site, free help from the advisory service Chapter at 1-855-531-2355, and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Medicare Advantage open enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
What should Medicare Advantage members in either place check?
In Virginia, the practical step is a call to the plan before Dec. 7 to confirm that the specific 2027 plan, not just Aetna in general, includes the Sentara hospital or doctor the member uses. Sentara’s release speaks of Aetna Medicare Advantage as a group, and the details of each plan’s network are the plan’s to confirm.
In Nevada, Carson Tahoe lists a phone line for in-network status questions at (775) 445-7550 and one for Medicare open enrollment questions at (775) 445-5500. The hospital’s page also notes that Kaiser Permanente replaces Senior Care Plus in 2027, and that Prominence Health Medicare Advantage is accepted. Out-of-network patients are asked to sign a notification form acknowledging potentially higher costs. The page also lists Traditional Medicare and Nevada Medicaid as accepted, and it gives the same Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 Medicare open enrollment window.
The practical gap is that the page lists UnitedHealthcare by name only. A member should ask UnitedHealthcare whether the exact plan on the card, such as an AARP Medicare Advantage or Optum-network plan, is part of the Nov. 1 return.
The same Dec. 7 deadline applies in both states, and plan changes made during open enrollment take effect in January. Carson Tahoe’s Medicare Advantage FAQ, written while the dispute was live, says members can switch plans during open enrollment or return to Original Medicare by canceling with their current plan and calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). It also says no patient is turned away for emergency or urgent care.
That FAQ was last updated in February 2025, so its list of accepted plans is out of date. The point that still holds is the process: the hospital’s current accepted-insurance page, not the older FAQ, is the one to check for what is in network today.
Does the Medicare Advantage plan on the card reach the hospital that matters by Dec. 7?
A network that widens for 2027 can still leave a member on the wrong side of it. A Virginia member who assumes Sentara is covered without checking the specific Aetna plan, or a Nevada member who relies on a hospital listing, can discover a gap only after a bill or a referral arrives in January.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a provider call script and the Open Enrollment calendar, along with a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors. The script gives a member the questions to put to a plan about a particular hospital before the window closes.
Get the provider call script and enrollment calendar to confirm a hospital before Dec. 7 →
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.
