Senior Citizens Brace for Harmful Medicare Advantage Changes

We are at the precipice of an implosion of the Medicare Advantage program.

Another exasperating example of the harm of deceiving budget games and unfunded government mandates is on our horizon, and this time it’s going to greatly hurt seniors throughout our state. Whether due to government’s appalling lack of foresight, a kick-the-can-down-the-road mentality, or a planned political time bomb to place blame on a new administration, I don’t know. All are just plain unconscionable.

In 2023 and 2024, the Biden administration oversaw Medicare Advantage cuts at CMS that became effective in 2024 and 2025. These cuts, along with a hefty unfunded prescription cap mandate, passed on a much greater share to the insurers beginning in 2025. This has caused massive losses and essentially imploded a market that serves about 50% of Minnesota’s seniors.

The results? UCare leaving the Advantage market completely, other major insurance carriers like Blue Cross-Blue Shield and United HealthCare pulling out of various counties, and major reductions in remaining Advantage plan options.

Freeborn County will be hit especially hard, with approximately one-half of our large population of seniors set to lose their healthcare coverage in 2026. Our elders on fixed incomes will be scrambling with few options that will either cost more, offer less, or even both.

An additional blow cascading from these new changes is the fact that those affected will be left with little to no advice on the best path to take amidst this chaos. Funding changes will leave important resources like insurance service agencies out of the loop to help advise.

I am not one to stick up for health insurance companies. There’s a lot of fixing that needs to take place there. However, in this situation the insurance companies are not the cause.

This isn’t talking politics; it’s talking history. It’s a “perfect storm” created by the previous administration. Now our seniors are left to face the consequences, and the new administration and new Congress are left holding the ball.

Of course, as per the game of politics, the current administration is being blamed.

This issue is a federal problem, and it requires a federal fix. I will be reaching out to our congressional delegation to share the disastrous impact on our area and state, and I’ll do all I can as a state legislator to help where I’m able.

I understand the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare. It’s critical. I will continue to advocate and work for this at the state level. We must have solutions that will bring added transparency to healthcare costs, lower costs with increase provider competition, and bring more power and flexibility to the doctor-patient relationship.