Got a "your plan is ending" letter? Your dates, your rights, and a rare Medigap window.

Medicare Advantage track

If a letter arrived saying your Medicare Advantage plan won’t be offered next year, take a breath. You still have coverage through December 31. You have more choices than you might think. And you have a short list of paperwork to collect before your plan goes away.

A lot of people are getting that letter this year. Humana, for example, told investors in July that its plan exits for 2027 will affect about 600,000 members, as reported by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Here’s what the letter means, what happens on each date, and what to do this week.

1. What the letter means

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are private plans that take the place of Original Medicare. Each year, insurers decide which plans they will offer, and where. When your plan won’t be offered next year, the insurer must tell you by mail at least 90 days before the plan ends. For plans ending December 31, the letters must reach members by October 2.

The letter does not mean:

You lose coverage today. Your current plan keeps covering you through December 31, 2026, under its current rules.
You lose Medicare. You are still on Medicare no matter what.

It does mean you need to decide what covers you starting January 1, 2027. If you don’t choose, one will be chosen for you.

2. If you do nothing, here’s what happens

Medicare.gov is plain about this: “You’ll be enrolled in Original Medicare if you don’t join another Medicare Advantage Plan before your current plan ends.”

Original Medicare is the federal program itself: Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical). For some people, landing there is fine. For others, it’s a surprise.

Here’s the catch. In Original Medicare, you usually pay 20% of the cost of each Part B service after the yearly deductible, and there’s no yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket. It also doesn’t cover most prescription drugs you take at home; that takes a separate Part D drug plan. If you might end up in Original Medicare, ask a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor about Part D and Medigap. The help is free.

3. Your dates

Mark these on the calendar:

Now through December 31, 2026: Your current plan still covers you. Use this time to collect records (Section 5).
October 15 – December 7: Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). Anyone on Medicare can switch to another MA plan, change drug plans, or move to Original Medicare. Changes start January 1.
December 8 – end of February 2027: A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for people whose plan isn’t renewing. Medicare.gov describes it as running “between December 8 and the last day in February of the following year.”
November 1, 2026 – early March 2027: Your Medigap window (Section 4), if your coverage ends December 31. Check the end date on your letter; the window is counted from that date.

Bottom line: You have until the end of February to choose. But if you choose by December 7, your new coverage starts January 1, and you don’t start the year on a default you didn’t pick.

4. The rare Medigap window

Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare doesn’t, like that 20%. It works only with Original Medicare, not with Medicare Advantage.

Normally, if you’ve been on Medicare a while and want to buy a Medigap policy, insurers in most states can ask health questions. They can charge more or turn you down. Medicare.gov warns that without a special right, a policy “may cost more due to past or present health problems” — if you can buy one at all.

When your MA plan leaves Medicare, that changes, for a limited time. Federal law gives you a special right to buy certain Medigap policies. Medicare.gov says that with this kind of right, the insurance company “can’t use any answers to medical questions to deny you a Medigap policy or change the price.” To use it:

you can apply as early as 60 days before your MA coverage ends, and
you must apply no later than 63 days after your MA coverage ends.

For coverage ending December 31, 2026, that’s November 1, 2026, through early March 2027. The right covers Medigap Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, or L sold in your state (Plans C and F only if you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020).

Action step: Keep the non-renewal letter. Medicare.gov says to include copies of your plan’s letters or notices with your Medigap application as proof that your coverage ended.

This window is not a reason to pick Original Medicare or another MA plan. It’s a door that is usually closed, and it opens only for a limited time. Ask your SHIP counselor whether it fits your situation.

5. The appeals angle: your approvals and appeals don’t move with you

This is the part most people miss. Your plan made decisions about your care this year: approvals, denials, appeals. Those decisions live with that plan. When the plan goes away, you need your own copies.

Prior authorizations. A prior authorization is the plan’s advance approval for a test, procedure, or treatment. An approval from your 2026 plan is not an approval from whatever covers you in 2027.

If you move to a new MA plan, federal rules require it to allow a transition period of at least 90 days for an “active course of treatment” you had already started (42 CFR §422.112(a)(8)(i)(B)). That helps, but it doesn’t run itself. Your doctor and the new plan need to know about the treatment, and a one-time procedure scheduled after January 1 may still need a new approval.
If you land in Original Medicare, most services don’t need advance approval. There are exceptions, including WISeR (the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model), which adds prior authorization for a short list of outpatient services in six states, including Texas.

Action step: Call your doctor’s office about anything scheduled after January 1: surgery, imaging, infusions, therapy, equipment. Ask: “Who will you need approval from in January, and do you have what you need?”

Open appeals. If you’re in the middle of appealing a denial, don’t let it drift. For an MA denial, you generally have 65 days from the date on the denial notice to ask the plan to reconsider. If the plan still says no to a medical service, it must send your case to an Independent Review Entity (IRE) automatically.

Finish anything you can before December 31.
For anything still open, call the plan and ask how open appeals will be handled after the plan ends. Write down the date, the time, and the name of the person you spoke with.
Keep copies of every denial notice, letter, and appeal you’ve sent.

Records. Once the plan is gone, getting documents gets harder. Request them now:

Your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements and claims history for 2026 (and earlier, if you had this plan before)
Every prior-authorization approval and denial letter
Any open appeal files and decision letters
Your Evidence of Coverage (EOC), the plan’s rulebook for 2026, in case a 2026 bill shows up later

Many plans let you download EOBs from the member website. If yours doesn’t, call member services and ask for them by mail.

6. Who to ask about choosing a plan

Medterpret doesn’t recommend plans, and an agent paid to sell plans isn’t a neutral source. For free, unbiased help choosing, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Every state has one. You can also compare plans with Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder.

Bring your list: doctors, prescriptions, and anything scheduled for 2027.

What to do this week

[ ] Find the letter. Note the exact date your coverage ends.
[ ] Put these on the calendar: Oct 15, Dec 7, end of February, and your Medigap window.
[ ] Download or request your 2026 EOBs and claims history.
[ ] Gather every prior-authorization approval and denial letter.
[ ] List any open appeals. Finish what you can; call the plan about the rest and write down who you spoke with.
[ ] Call your doctor’s office about anything scheduled after January 1.
[ ] Book a free appointment with your SHIP counselor.

Got a denial or a confusing notice? Upload it to Medterpret and see what it says, what it means, and what to do next — in plain English. Medterpret drafts; you decide what to send. Appeal a denial →

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Medterpret is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare, CMS, HHS, or any government agency. Educational information, not legal or medical advice.

Sources

“Special Enrollment Periods” (your plan’s contract with Medicare isn’t renewed). Medicare.gov (U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
“Guide to consumer mailings from CMS, Social Security, and plans in 2025/2026” (non-renewal notices by October 2). CMS, as of November 2025. cms.gov
42 CFR §422.506, “Nonrenewal of contract” (notice to enrollees by mail at least 90 days before the nonrenewal takes effect). Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. law.cornell.edu
“Humana to exit Medicare Advantage plans covering 600,000 members in 2027.” Becker’s Hospital Review, July 2026 (reporting Humana’s July 29, 2026 earnings call). beckershospitalreview.com
“Medicare costs” (Part B 20% coinsurance; no yearly out-of-pocket limit in Original Medicare). Medicare.gov, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
“When can I buy a Medigap policy?” (Medicare Advantage plan leaving Medicare: 60 days before / 63 days after; eligible plans). Medicare.gov, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
“How do I buy a Medigap policy?” (buying with a special right: no medical questions used to deny or price). Medicare.gov, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
42 CFR §422.112(a)(8)(i)(B), minimum 90-day transition period for active courses of treatment. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), accessed Sept. 29, 2026. ecfr.gov
“Appeals in Medicare health plans” (65 days from the date on the plan’s denial notice; automatic Independent Review Entity review). Medicare.gov, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
“Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model.” CMS Innovation Center, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. cms.gov
Medicare Plan Finder (“Find a Medicare plan”). Medicare.gov, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. medicare.gov
“Get Medicare Help from Your Local SHIP Program.” SHIP Technical Assistance Center, accessed Sept. 29, 2026. shiphelp.org
“Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare” (Plans C and F not available to people new to Medicare on or after Jan. 1, 2020). CMS publication 02110, March 2026 edition. medicare.gov