hospital As millions of Medicare beneficiaries begin comparing Medicare Advantage plans for next year, a running list of hospitals and health systems that no longer accept certain Medicare Advantage insurers has kept climbing. Becker’s Hospital Review’s tracker of these contract breaks reached 29 named health systems as of early September, spanning large academic medical centers and small community hospitals alike. For a retiree whose hospital or physician group is on that list, the practical effect is the same regardless of the reason behind it: care that used to be in-network can suddenly cost far more, or require switching plans altogether.
A Running Tally That Has Reached 29 Health Systems
Becker’s has tracked health systems dropping Medicare Advantage contracts since 2023, and its current list, last updated Sept. 4, counts 29 systems that have already gone out of network with at least one Medicare Advantage insurer in 2026 or have announced a coming exit. The publication describes the list as “not exhaustive” and says it will keep growing through the rest of the year. Some of the exits already took effect months ago; others, including Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services’ break with UnitedHealthcare and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s split from Humana, are timed for the fall and the start of 2027. Because none of these systems has signaled a new agreement is imminent, all 29 are on track to remain out of network with the insurers named as beneficiaries move into their 2027 coverage.
The list includes some of the country’s best-known health systems. Mayo Clinic has gone out of network with most Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare and Humana. Mount Sinai in New York and Mass General Brigham in Boston have each dropped major Medicare Advantage insurers. Smaller systems, from Montrose Regional Health in Colorado to South County Hospital in Rhode Island, appear on the same list for the same underlying reason: a contract dispute with an insurer that neither side chose to resolve.
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Why Hospitals Are Walking Away From Medicare Advantage Contracts
The systems dropping these plans consistently point to the same complaints: high rates of prior authorization denials, slow reimbursement, and payment terms that no longer cover the cost of care. In some cases, the insurer is the one ending the relationship. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has said Humana notified the health system it was terminating their Medicare Advantage contract effective Oct. 1, even as the hospital says it remains open to renewing. Elsewhere the health system is driving the decision, as with Norman Regional Health System in Oklahoma, which went out of network with Aetna Medicare Advantage in August and is set to do the same with UnitedHealthcare in October.
Fairview Health Services has told patients it will stop scheduling Medicare Advantage patients covered by UnitedHealthcare starting Jan. 1, 2027, giving beneficiaries a full enrollment season to find alternate coverage before the change takes effect. Medicare Advantage now covers more than half of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries nationwide, which is part of why these disputes have become so consequential: a single contract break between one system and one insurer can now affect tens of thousands of patients in a single metro area.
What This Means for Retirees Choosing 2027 Medicare Advantage Coverage
The annual enrollment period for 2027 Medicare Advantage coverage runs from mid-October through early December, and it is the one window most beneficiaries have to switch plans without a special circumstance. Anyone whose preferred hospital, cancer center, or physician group appears on this growing list has a direct financial reason to check network status this fall rather than assuming last year’s plan still covers this year’s providers. Staying in an out-of-network plan can mean paying the full negotiated rate for a hospital stay or specialist visit, costs that a Medicare Advantage plan’s out-of-pocket maximum may not fully cap if the care falls outside the network altogether.
Because the list is updated throughout the year and new contract breaks can be announced with only a few months’ notice, retirees with a Medicare Advantage plan have a practical reason to confirm directly with their hospital or health system, not just their insurer, that a preferred provider will remain in network for 2027. A plan that looks unchanged on paper can still leave a longtime patient facing an out-of-network bill if the hospital system behind it has quietly walked away from the contract.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by The Financial Wire editorial team.
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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.
