Over 4.6 million people are currently enrolled in a 2021 Medicare Advantage plan (MA and MAPD) or Medicare Part D plan (PDP) that will no longer be offered in 2022 - and although most people will be automatically moved to a different 2022 Medicare plan, almost 190,000 people will lose their 2022 Medicare plan coverage - unless they enroll into another Medicare plan.
What are non-renewing Medicare plans?
Each year, Medicare plans have the option of not renewing the plan's contract with Medicare. When this happens, the Medicare plan can be discontinued across the country or in a specific service area (such as a single state or ZIP code area).
If a Medicare beneficiary is enrolled in a non-renewing 2021 Medicare plan that is
not automatically moving (or "crosswalking") their members to a different 2022 Medicare plan,
members of the 2021 plan will be without Medicare plan coverage starting January 1, 2022 - unless they enroll in a different Medicare plan during the annual
Open Enrollment Period (the AEP
runs from October 15th through December 7th) or have access to a Special Enrollment Period allowing them to join a Medicare plan outside of the AEP.
Important: Remember, there is a Service Area Reduction Special Enrollment Period (SAR SEP) starting on December 8th and continuing through the end of February allowing people enrolled in a terminated Medicare plan the possibility of enrolling in a new 2022 Medicare plan after the December 7th close of the AEP.
Important: Remember, there is a Service Area Reduction Special Enrollment Period (SAR SEP) starting on December 8th and continuing through the end of February allowing people enrolled in a terminated Medicare plan the possibility of enrolling in a new 2022 Medicare plan after the December 7th close of the AEP.
How many 2021 plan members will lose coverage in 2022 due to non-renewing Medicare plans?
- Almost 190,000 people are losing their Medicare plan coverage if they do not select a new Medicare plan.
Approximately 142,000 people are currently enrolled in 2021 Medicare Advantage plans that will be terminated in 2022 and an additional 43,000 people are enrolled in 18 non-renewing stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans (PDPs). These plan members will NOT be crosswalked into another plan and will be without 2022 coverage if they do not actively enroll in a new Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D plan.
When a plan is no longer being offered in 2022, existing Medicare plan members will be notified in their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter about the plan termination or consolidation - and be given the option to join another plan during the annual Open Enrollment Period.
Again, if current plan members do not join another Medicare plan, they may find themselves without 2022 Medicare plan coverage.
Need a fast way to see how existing Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plans are changing next year?
Our PDP-Compare and MA-Compare tools allow you to compare annual 2021/2022 changes in all stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) or Medicare Advantage plans (MAs or MAPDs) across the country showing changes in monthly premiums and plan design changes, as well as changes in co-payments or co-insurance rates for different drug tiers along with the most recent Medicare quality star ratings.
Both the PDP-Compare and MA-Compare also show the Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans that will be merged, discontinued, or added in 2022. More about the 2021 Medicare Advantage plan (MA and MAPD) plan terminations
The chart below highlights counties with the highest number of non-renewing Medicare Advantage plans.
|
Counties
with Largest Number of Non-Renewing Medicare Advantage Plans |
|
| County | Number of Non-Renewing Plans* |
| Lucas County, OH | 14 |
| Ottawa County, OH | 12 |
| Fulton County, OH | 12 |
| Auglaize County, OH | 11 |
| Lawrence County, OH | 10 |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 10 |
| Lake County, OH | 10 |
| Summit County, OH | 10 |
| Mahoning County, OH | 10 |
| Trumbull County, OH | 10 |
| Portage County, OH | 9 |
| Medina County, OH | 9 |
| Wood County, OH | 8 |
| Stark County, OH | 7 |
| Franklin County, OH | 7 |
Not sure where to begin with all this information?
Medicare beneficiaries can telephone Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, speak with a Medicare representative, and learn more about their 2022 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plan options.