Patrius Health will stop offering its Medicare Advantage plans in Mississippi at the end of this year. The company’s website says the plans “will no longer be offered” as of Jan. 1, 2027, and that the last day of coverage is Dec. 31, 2026. Members have until Dec. 7 to pick a new plan in open enrollment, and Medicare gives people whose plan ends a second, special window after that.
The deadline most people hear about is Dec. 7, but it is not the only one for a member whose plan is closing. The question for a Patrius member is when to choose, and what happens to anyone who lets the date pass without picking a plan.
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Why is Patrius leaving Mississippi?
Patrius says the closure follows “changes to CMS Medicare program requirements and rising costs,” which it says made it hard to offer a plan that stays affordable and responsive to members’ needs. The notice on its homepage carries a Mississippi listing and does not say what members must do next, and it does not list a phone number. The same page still describes a $0-premium Blue Advantage PPO plan for 26 counties running from Calhoun to Webster.
Patrius is a joint venture between Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, according to Becker’s Payer Issues, which put the company on an Oct. 20 list of 18 payers leaving Medicare Advantage in 2027. Becker’s said the plans were offered in 26 Mississippi counties and that Blue Cross of Alabama will keep offering its own Medicare Advantage plans in Alabama. The report gave no member count.
Does Dec. 7 really end a Patrius member’s choices?
Not for someone whose plan is ending. Medicare.gov describes a special enrollment period for members of a Medicare Advantage plan whose contract is not renewed. It runs “between December 8 and the last day in February of the following year,” and lets a member switch to another plan.
The page lists other windows for other kinds of endings. When a plan ends its contract, or the plan and Medicare agree to end it, the switch window opens two months before the contract ends and runs through one full month after. Patrius has not said which category its exit falls under, but either way a member has time after Dec. 7.
That second window does not make Dec. 7 irrelevant. Open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and a choice made in it is the plain route to a plan that begins when Patrius coverage ends on Dec. 31. Medicare.gov’s page does not say when coverage starts for a plan picked in a later window, so a member who waits is relying on timing the agency has not spelled out on that page.
What happens if a member does nothing?
Medicare.gov says a member whose plan ends who does not join another Medicare Advantage plan before it ends “will be enrolled in Original Medicare.” In practice, a member who misses every window ends up in the program’s default and not in a plan chosen on purpose.
The Medicare.gov page does not address prescription drug coverage in that situation. Patrius members who take medication should ask Medicare, at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), what coverage they will have after Dec. 31 and what they can add.
An October industry report in Insurance Business said that members whose plans leave their county can return to Original Medicare and buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting, and that Medigap premiums are typically higher but its network is broader than that of replacement HMOs. The article does not address Patrius or Mississippi specifically.
Which plans are left to choose from?
Patrius did not name replacement plans in its notice, and Becker’s did not list them. Members can compare what is sold in their county through Medicare.gov’s plan finder or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. The comparison that matters is a short one: the same doctors and hospital, the same drugs on the formulary, and the monthly premium and out-of-pocket maximum.
The Insurance Business report quoted Alexis Levy of HealthScape Advisors saying that “a senior may be able to keep their plan” but may not keep the same level of benefits. A replacement plan can differ from the old one on premium, network and drug list, which is why the comparison matters.
Who offers free help comparing plans in Mississippi?
The Mississippi Department of Human Services runs the state’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIP, which offers free, confidential, one-on-one Medicare counseling in person and by phone. The department lists 1-844-822-4622 and 601-709-0624, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Counselors help people find a health plan and Part D drug coverage, check eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs, and compare Medicare, Medicaid and supplemental policies. The service is open to Medicare-eligible Mississippians and is overseen by the department under Executive Director Robert “Bob” Anderson, and its Division of Aging and Adult Services works with local Area Agencies on Aging. For a Patrius member facing a Dec. 31 end date, a counselor can lay out what is sold in the member’s county before Dec. 7.
Which 2027 plan should a Patrius member choose before Dec. 7?
A plan that disappears on Dec. 31 leaves a Mississippi member with a short list of choices and a default. If nothing is chosen, Medicare.gov says Original Medicare is what remains.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus the Open Enrollment calendar. It is meant to turn a closing plan into a written keep, switch or wait decision before the window closes.
Get the plan cost calculator and enrollment calendar for a closing Patrius plan →
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.
