Many counties across the country will see one or more 2021 Medicare Advantage plans discontinued in 2022

As noted in our "More 2022 Medicare Advantage plan choices..." article, the total number of 2022 Medicare Advantage plans across the country will increase by 10%.  However, when viewed in detail, many 2021 Medicare Advantage plans will be terminated or merged into other 2022 plans -- and many counties will see significant changes in their Medicare Advantage plan landscape.

A Closer Look:  County-Specific changes in the 2022 Medicare Advantage plan landscapes (Losses and Gains)

As an example of how the Medicare Advantage plan landscape can change on a local level, we found that in 2022, Lucas County, OH will lose 14 of the 81 currently-offered 2021 Medicare Advantage plans.  However, in the same county, 22 new 2022 Medicare Advantage plans will be introduced.

The counties in the chart below will have 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

Note about "crosswalk" information: *The term "Crosswalk" is used when a 2021 Medicare plans automatically moves plan members to a different plan for 2022 because the 2021 Medicare plan will no longer be offered next year.  At this time, we do not know which 2021 plans will "crosswalk" members into other 2022 plans - however, we will learn more as Medicare releases more 2022 plan data.  In short, it is possible that some of these Medicare Advantage plans will terminate within the county, but transfer or "crosswalk" their 2021 plan members to a different 2022 Medicare Advantage plan.
 
Bottom Line:  Please check to be sure that your 2021 Medicare Advantage plan is being offered in 2022.  You can learn more by reading your Medicare plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter that your plan will send you late-September or early-October.  You can also telephone your current Medicare Advantage plan using the toll-free Member Services number found on your Member ID card. Learning more about how your 2021 Medicare plan is changing in 2022.

(1) Review your Medicare plan's Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter that you will receive in late-September or early-October.  Your ANOC will tell you how your current Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage plan is changing next year - for example, changes in monthly premiums, deductibles, co-pays.

(2)  For more information about 2021/2022 plan changes, please call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 and speak with a Medicare representative about Medicare plans that are available in your service area.

(3) Try our Medicare Advantage plan comparison tool (MA-Compare.com).  You can see more 2022 Medicare Part D plan changes using our MA-Compare tool found at: MA-Compare.com/2022 or Browse Medicare Advantage or Part D plans by state and county.

For example, in our 2021/2022 MA-Compare tool, you can enter your Zip Code and see how 2021 Medicare Advantage plans are changing in 2022.

As you can see in the graphic below, this older 2020/2021 example using Monroe County, PA is showing "57 Medicare Advantage plans that meet your criteria", representing the total number of Medicare Advantage plan changes.

"Plan changes" can mean Medicare Advantage plans leaving in 2022, plans remaining in 2022, and new Medicare Advantage plans entering the area in 2022.  In this 2020/2021 example, there are 50 Medicare Advantage plans in 2020, of these 50 plans, 11 plans will exit in 2021, and 7 new Medicare Advantage plans will enter in 2021 for a new total of 46 Medicare Advantage plan in 2021.

Using this same example, Monroe county will change again in 2022 and have 58 Medicare Advantage plans - using the 2021/2022 MA-Compare.com, you can see 10 Medicare Advantage plans are leaving the county in 2022 [Select the filter: "Only show plans discontinued in 2022"] and 22 plans are entering the county [Select the filter: "Only show plans new for 2022"].

Plan Year	Plans Leaving	Plans Entering	Total Number of Medicare Advantage plans
2020	50 total plans
2021	11 leaving	7 entering	46 total plans
2022	10 leaving	22 entering	58 total plans

From the graphic you can also see how existing Medicare Advantage plans can change coverage year-to-year with new premiums or plan co-pays or new maximum out-of-pocket spending limits (MOOP).