Insurers Trim Michigan Medicare Advantage Plans as Enrollment Nears Close
A new poll from the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging finds that three-in-five of Michigan's 2.3 million Medicare beneficiaries spend less than an hour, or no time, comparing plan options during open enrollment, which runs through Dec. 7. Insurers are offering 181 Medicare Advantage plans in Michigan this year, down from 192 last year, per CMS data, forcing some beneficiaries whose plans were discontinued to find alternatives among fewer choices. Those affected get a brief, rare window to drop Medicare Advantage for Original Medicare paired with a Medigap plan without health-based underwriting, but only within 63 days after their old plan ends. Researchers warn that delaying the decision or failing to reassess options annually can cost beneficiaries hundreds to thousands of dollars.