Humana’s individual Medicare Advantage plans stopped paying in-network rates at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and The James on Oct. 1, according to a notice on the medical center’s website. Ohio State estimates about 26,000 Humana patients in central Ohio are affected, counting both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members. The plans themselves still exist. What ended is the hospital system’s contract with them.
A second Humana product was spared. The notice says an agreement was reached for Humana’s group Medicare Advantage plans, and “The Wexner Medical Center and The James will remain in network in 2027.” Patients on those group plans do not need to change coverage. Patients on individual plans do, if they want Ohio State to stay in network.
That split is the first thing to sort out, and it starts with the Humana card. A member whose plan is individual and who sees an Ohio State doctor has until Dec. 7 to pick a different 2027 plan, and an earlier, one-time window closes this week. A member on a group plan, such as one through a former employer, has nothing to switch.
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A lost contract, not a canceled plan
Ohio State’s Humana Medicare Advantage notice says Humana Individual Medicare Advantage plans “will be out of network beginning Oct. 1, 2026.” Nothing in the notice says Humana ended the plans or dropped the members. Their coverage runs on, but with the Ohio State hospitals and doctors outside the network.
The dispute surfaced in July. Hoodline, a local news site, reported the 26,000 estimate as an Ohio State figure first carried by NBC4 in Columbus, and said Humana’s statement that the contract would end came on July 2. The same report said both sides were trying to soften the blow.
Humana told members it would offer personalized help with continuity of care, according to that report. It also said emergency services would be paid at the in-network level. Some members with specific medical conditions might keep seeing Ohio State providers for a limited time.
Dec. 31 is a cushion, Oct. 31 is a door that is closing
Ohio State’s notice sets out three dates for affected individual-plan patients. A continuity-of-care period lets them keep in-network rates through Dec. 31, 2026. A one-time special election period to change coverage runs through Oct. 31, with changes taking effect Nov. 1.
The regular Medicare Open Enrollment period, Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, is the third. A choice made then starts Jan. 1, 2027, which is the day the continuity period is over. A patient who waits and does nothing starts the year seeing Ohio State at out-of-network prices, or has to change doctors.
Telling an individual plan from a group plan
The notice tells patients to identify the plan type from the Humana card or the number on its back. Humana’s customer line is the number printed there. Ohio State says patients should keep scheduled appointments, tests and procedures while they review options, as Hoodline reported.
Patients who are unsure can ask the hospital’s billing office to confirm whether the exact plan name on the card is in network. A call before a January visit is cheaper than a surprise bill after it.
Keeping Ohio State or keeping Humana
The notice says Ohio State participates in Original Medicare and more than 30 other Medicare Advantage plans. Hoodline reported that Traditional Medicare and Medigap plans are still accepted. Medicare’s Plan Finder lists 2027 plans by drug and by home ZIP code, and each plan’s provider directory shows whether Wexner and The James are in it.
Chapter, Ohio State’s counseling partner, offers no-cost help at 866-571-0136 or askchapter.org/osu, the notice says. Hoodline also reported that Ohio State points patients to the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program for free counseling.
Anyone weighing a move to Original Medicare with a Medigap supplement should read Medicare’s Medigap timing page first. It sets a guaranteed-issue window of 60 days before to 63 days after coverage ends, and a member should confirm whether a network loss qualifies before counting on it. The agency’s plan-year announcements are posted on the CMS newsroom.
Seeing an Ohio State doctor on an individual Humana plan?
The Oct. 31 window ends this week and Dec. 7 is the last regular day.
A central Ohio patient who keeps an individual Humana plan and misses the dates can start 2027 with Wexner Medical Center and The James outside the network. That means higher bills or a new specialist in the middle of treatment.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit is built for exactly that hospital question. It includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, a prescription-by-plan comparison, a provider call script for confirming a hospital is in network, and the Open Enrollment calendar.
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.
