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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – If you’re a senior citizen on Medicare, keep a close eye on your mail. A number of health insurance companies are eliminating Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 and you may need take action to ensure you and your medications are still covered.

Bob McMullen chose an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Medicare Advantage plan years ago because the company is local. “They’ve always had a good reputation, back in the 80’s when I was at Kodak I had them,” McMullen recalls.   He has heart problems, so he relies heavily on prescription medications, “I have an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) and take several medications in the morning and at night,” McMullen explains.   

That’s why when he opened a letter from Excellus BCBS last week, he panicked, “it said I was basically fired from BCBS…I just was told I was done and then they gave me a two-page listing of other insurance I could get,” he says.

McMullen isn’t sure what he’s going to do, “I’m going to go down to the VOC (Veterans Outreach Center) and see what kind of recommendations they have.  I don’t want to just jump on one because what if these people are just going to cancel too? I don’t want to go from place to place filling out paperwork,” he tells News10NBC. 

Medicare Advantage, sometimes called Part C plans, are operated by private companies but receive funding from the federal government. They often include broader coverage, including prescriptions, than standard Medicare, and have a cap on annual out-of-pocket expenses.

A spokeswoman for Excellus BCBS tells News10NBC, “Across the country, rising health care costs – especially for hospital services and prescription drugs – continue to put pressure on Medicare Advantage plans. In upstate New York, nonprofit health plans are also further challenged by issues with the Medicare wage index.  A 2023 change in how the federal government sets hospital reimbursement rates for Medicare has resulted in significant financial losses for nonprofit health plans in upstate New York.  Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Excellus BCBS), for example, is losing about $100 million annually because of this change and losses are projected to continue without corrective action by Congress.”

McMullen needs to look for a new plan that he hopes will offer similar coverage for around the same amount of money that he’s been paying monthly. “If it doesn’t happen I don’t know what I’m going to do, I really don’t but I know if I stop taking the medications I have, well… you’re next interview you may be standing at a gravesite and that’s how bad it is. And I’m still doing fairly good so picture people who aren’t,” he says. 

Excellus BCBS isn’t the only insurer who is scaling back its Medicare Advantage offerings, a number of other big named companies are too.

Excellus offers this advice if you need help finding an alternate plan: 

Visit medicare.excellusbcbs.com for more information about our 2026 plans Individuals can also use www.ExcellusForMedicare.com/Rochester which is specific to our 6-county Rochester region which includes Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates Counties.Get individual support by phone at 1-877-406-4821 

Or, https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan

Lifespan might also be able to assist: https://www.lifespan-roch.org/

Current plans remain in effect through the end of the year. Medicare’s annual open enrollment period, for patients to choose new plans for 2026, runs from October 15 through December 7.

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