In the last few years, dozens of hospitals and physicians across the country have opted out of Medicare Advantage networks, saying that insurers are endangering patient health, burdening them with needless administrative requirements, and underpaying them for their services. Michael Brady reports for HealthcareDive on the state of play.
Medicare Advantage insurers often refuse to pay Traditional Medicare rates, if they don’t want certain providers in their networks or don’t care if they are out-of-network. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for its part, allows the Medicare Advantage insurers to get away with having what appear to be inadequate networks in many cases. Mental health providers, rehabilitation providers and top cancer care providers are too often hard to come by for people in Medicare Advantage plans.
Many hospitals are fed up. ‘Provider challenges in delivering patient care amidst onerous payer coverage barriers or insurer refusal to contract with providers — unless they accept below-cost reimbursement rates or business terms that interfere with efficient care delivery — may lead providers to make the difficult decision to not participate in a particular network,’ according to an American Hospital Association spokesperson.
Of course, the insurers blame the hospitals for excessive charges that the insurers cannot understand. For sure, hospital bills are excessive and hard to understand. But, the insurers’ denials and delays of care and administrative hassles do not add value.
Medicare Advantage contract disputes on the rise
Total contract disputes and those involving Medicare Advantage, Q1 2022 – Q3 2025
What’s unquestionably true is that hospitals lost a lot of money during the pandemic and the insurers seemingly made a bundle. The hospitals could not provide a lot of the care they typically provided. And, while the insurers were paid to cover care, far fewer people were getting or able to get care.
Some argue that insurers do not see profits in the Medicare Advantage market. But, they are doing extraordinarily well, bringing in more than $80 billion in government overpayments each year. And, Congress has yet to enact legislation to claw back this money.
Many health and hospital systems are no longer willing to work with Medicare Advantage insurers.
Here’s a list of some of the hospitals ending Medicare Advantage contracts in 2026 and those that ended contracts in 2025
Hospitals Cancelling Medicare Advantage Contracts in 2026
Delaware: Kettering Health: Will no longer contract with Humana and Devoted Health after December 31, 2025.
Illinois: Carle Health (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina). Ending its insurance business (Health Alliance, FirstCarolinaCare) and all Medicare Advantage plans at the end of 2025, effective in the 2026 coverage year.
Indiana: Carle Health (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina). Ending its insurance business (Health Alliance, FirstCarolinaCare) and all Medicare Advantage plans in multiple states at the end of 2025, effective in the 2026 coverage year.
Iowa:
- Carle Health (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina). Ending its insurance business (Health Alliance, FirstCarolinaCare) and all Medicare Advantage plans in multiple states at the end of 2025, effective in the 2026 coverage year.
- Mayo Clinic will be out-of-network for UnitedHealthcare’s individual MA plans and all Humana MA plans starting January 1, 2026.
Louisiana: Ochsner Health Plan: Will not offer MA plans for 2026
Michigan: Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan); Discontinuing its Medicare Advantage plan in 2026, impacting more than 9,000 MA members in Michigan.
Minnesota: Mayo Clinic will be out-of-network for UnitedHealthcare’s individual MA plans and all Humana MA plans starting January 1, 2026.
North Carolina: Carle Health (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina). Ending its insurance business (Health Alliance, FirstCarolinaCare) and all Medicare Advantage plans in multiple states at the end of 2025, effective in the 2026 coverage year.
Ohio: Carle Health (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina). Ending its insurance business (Health Alliance, FirstCarolinaCare) and all Medicare Advantage plans in multiple states at the end of 2025, effective in the 2026 coverage year.
Oregon: Samaritan Health Services (Oregon), Exiting all Medicare Advantage contracts in 2026 except for its dual-eligible special needs plan; affects over 12,000 local members.
Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), Pennsylvania. Announced it will end contracts with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage on January 25, 2026.
Vermont: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has announced a full withdrawal from the Medicare Advantage market in Vermont in 2026. This will affect any hospitals or providers in Vermont accepting Anthem MA plans.
Washington: MultiCare: Will exit MA PPO plans in the Puget Sound region in 2026 to focus on HMO offerings.
Wisconsin: Mayo Clinic will be out-of-network for UnitedHealthcare’s individual MA plans and all Humana MA plans starting January 1, 2026.
These 50 hospital systems in 28 states have ended Medicare Advantage contracts in 2025.
- California: Scripps Health ended all Medicare Advantage contracts for its integrated medical groups. (Perplexity)
- Colorado: CommonSpirit hospitals and Humana went out of network on Jan. 1.
- Delaware:
- Dover-based Bayhealth terminated its contracts with Humana and Cigna Medicare Advantage plans, effective Jan. 1.
- ChristianaCare canceled its contract with Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans effective January 1. (Perplexity)
- Illinois: Quincy-based Blessing Health implemented a new MA approach in 2025 and is only contracting with BCBS, UnitedHealthcare, Molina and Total Retiree Advantage Illinois.
- Indiana: Powers Health (formerly Community Healthcare System) canceled contracts with Humana and Aetna Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Iowa: West Des Moines-based MercyOne is no longer included in Humana’s Medicare Advantage network as of Jan. 1.
- Kansas: Lawrence-based LMH Health no longer accepts Aetna or Humana Medicare Advantage, effective Jan. 1.
- Kentucky: Baptist Health canceled contracts with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and Centene’s WellCare. (Perplexity)
- Maine: Northern Light Health is canceling its Medicare Advantage contract with Humana. (Perplexity)
- Michigan:
- Livonia-based Trinity Health is no longer included in Humana’s Medicare Advantage network as of Jan. 1.
- Midland-based MyMichigan Health is no longer participating in the Aetna Medicare Advantage network in 2025.
- Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor) will not offer Medicare Advantage after 2025. (Perplexity)
- Minnesota:
- Robbinsdale-based North Memorial Health has ended its contract with Humana Medicare Advantage.
- Duluth-based Essentia Health went out of network with Humana Medicare Advantage plans in 2025 and is canceling contracts with UnitedHealthcare. (Perplexity)
- HealthPartners is canceling contracts with UnitedHealthcare and Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health dropped Humana Medicare Advantage in Minnesota for 2025.
- Mississippi: Tupelo-based North Mississippi Health Services went out-of-network with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage on June 1.
- Missouri:
- Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care dropped Anthem BCBS Medicare Advantage, effective March 31.
- Cameron Regional Medical Center canceled contracts with Aetna and Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Nebraska:
- North Platt-based Great Plains Health no longer accepts any Medicare Advantage plans as of 2025.
- Kimball Health Services no longer accepts any Medicare Advantage plans as of 2025.
- Nevada: Carson City.-based Carson Tahoe Health is no longer in network with Alignment Health and Molina Medicare Advantage as of Jan. 1; with Aetna, Anthem, and Centene as of April 1; and with Humana as of May 1. Carson Tahoe Health also cancelled its contract with UnitedHealth (Perplexity)
- New York: Med Health System canceled its contract with Humana Medicare Advantage as of July 1.
- North Carolina:
- Raleigh-based WakeMed is out of network with Cigna Medicare Advantage as of Jan. 1.
- ECU Health canceled Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans as of January. Perplexity
- Ohio:
- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus went out of network with Anthem Medicare Advantage on Jan. 1.
- Aultman Health System is canceling contracts with Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Genesis Healthcare System canceled contracts with Anthem BCBS and Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Oklahoma:
- Comanche County Memorial Hospital canceled its contract with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Stillwater Medical Center ended all in-network contracts with Medicare Advantage plans. (Perplexity)
- Oregon:
- Salem Health and Regence BCBS Medicare Advantage went out of network in February.
- Samaritan Health Services’ hospitals canceled contracts with UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans. (Perplexity)
- St. Charles Health System canceled contracts with Humana Medicare Advantage and Centene MA. (Perplexity)
- Moda Health discontinued all individual Medicare Advantage plans. (Perplexity)
- Pennsylvania:
- WVU Medicine’s Uniontown Hospital and its affiliated provider groups are no longer participating providers with Highmark PA or Highmark Wholecare Medicare Advantage as of Jan. 1.
- WellSpan Health ended contracts with Humana and UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans. (Perplexity)
- Rhode Island: Providence, R.I.-based Brown University Health and UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage mutually agreed to go out of network on July 1.
- South Carolina:
- Charleston based-MUSC Health’s contract with Humana Medicare Advantage expired on June 30.
- Greenville-based Bon Secours St. Francis Health System ended its participation with Cigna Medicare Advantage on Jan. 1.
- South Dakota:
- Sioux Falls-based Avera Health ended participation as an in-network provider with Humana Medicare Advantage, effective Jan. 1.
- Watertown-based Prairie Lakes Healthcare System dropped Humana Medicare Advantage.
- Sanford Health canceled Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Brookings Health System ended all Medicare Advantage contracts. (Perplexity)
- Tennessee: Nashville-based Vanderbilt Health is no longer in network with BCBS Tennessee Medicare Advantage.
- Texas:
- Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White is no longer in network with Humana Medicare Advantage as of Jan. 1.
- Memorial Hermann Health System ended its contract with Humana Medicare Advantage. (Perplexity)
- Southwestern Health Resources (Care N’ Care) shut down its Medicare Advantage plan. (Perplexity)
- Vermont: MVP Health Care and University of Vermont Health discontinued their joint Medicare Advantage plan.
- Washington: Seattle-based UW Medicine and Aetna Medicare Advantage went out of network on June
