Humana will stop selling individual Medicare Advantage plans in Minnesota in 2027, and it is also pulling out of 57 counties, Becker’s Payer reported from federal plan data. A Humana spokesperson told MPR News the company had fewer than 10,000 Minnesota members last year, so the Minnesota exit is small next to the insurer’s national footprint but total for those who hold a plan.
What Humana is dropping, and where
The Minnesota exit is statewide for individual Medicare Advantage, MPR News reported. Humana will keep serving Minnesota only through employer and other group coverage, which does not help a retiree who bought a plan on their own.
The 57 counties are a separate figure in the Becker’s report, and the report does not list them or say how many sit in states Humana is otherwise staying in. Humana will still sell Medicare Advantage in about 2,600 counties across 45 states and Washington, D.C., and will offer 861 plans, down from 887. Anyone outside Minnesota should look up the county by name rather than assume it is safe.
The wider Minnesota squeeze
Humana is not the only carrier changing course in the state. MPR News said HealthPartners, UnitedHealthcare, Medica and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota are also ending contracts or changing where they sell, with some plans discontinued and new ones introduced. The result is fewer choices in certain counties.
Maureen Schneider, chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging, spoke to the uncertainty for people who already have coverage they like. Free one-on-one help is available through Aging Pathways, the Minnesota Board on Aging’s statewide service, which MPR identified as the place to turn for enrollment assistance.
Anyone holding a Humana Medicare Advantage card should read the plan’s ending notice, then list every prescription and every doctor before shopping. The decision is whether to join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare, and the two paths price very differently.
Retirement deadlines, in your inbox: 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.
Dec. 7 versus the special window
Annual open enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and Medicare.gov says a new plan must receive the request by Dec. 7 to start Jan. 1. MPR reported that people whose Medicare Advantage plans are discontinued may qualify for a special enrollment period, a separate right that exists because the plan itself is ending and not because the member chose to switch.
Medicare.gov lists losing or changing coverage among the situations that open a special enrollment period, with timing that varies. A member who waits relies on that window instead of the standard one, and who has to be enrolled where on Jan. 1 depends on the choice made now. Anyone who picks nothing by Dec. 7 and has no other plan is placed in Original Medicare when the Humana plan ends.
Advantage, or Original Medicare with a supplement?
The money split matters. Another Medicare Advantage plan keeps the plan-with-a-network model, with copays and a provider list. Original Medicare pairs with a Medigap supplement and a standalone Part D drug plan, which cost more each month but travel to any provider that takes Medicare.
Medicare.gov says a person whose plan leaves has a right to buy any Medigap policy an insurer sells in the state, with no health questions, if the application comes between 60 days before and 63 days after the coverage ends. The right applies only to those who go to Original Medicare rather than another Advantage plan. Outside that window, an insurer can decline or price in health history.
Running the numbers in Plan Finder
Medicare’s Plan Finder shows every 2027 plan available at a ZIP code, with the premium, estimated drug costs and out-of-pocket cap for each. Entering each medication and dose gives a more accurate total than comparing premiums alone.
Humana has said the majority of the plans it is dropping carry star ratings of 3.5 or lower, and its chief financial officer said the company expects to recapture a significant share of the roughly 600,000 affected members nationwide. In Minnesota there is nothing to recapture on an individual plan, so a member who wants to stay with Humana has no individual option.
Is the Humana card in the wallet one of the plans ending?
A Humana member in Minnesota has no individual plan to fall back on, and a wrong guess at a replacement can mean a drug on a higher tier or a doctor out of network for a full year. The window to choose closes Dec. 7.
“The Medicare Money Bundle” holds eight Medicare guides for $8, starting with “Open Enrollment in an Afternoon: Plan Finder in one sitting, and a keep-or-switch answer.” Its “Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage: your Medigap rights, state rules, and both paths priced” guide lays out the supplement route in dollars, with large print throughout.
Price Advantage against Medigap in the Medicare Money Bundle →
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.
