Wyden, Warner Call on Trump to Help Seniors When Insurance Companies Drop Doctors from Their Plans
Seniors Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans Need More Transparency When Doctors Leave Their Networks
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., today called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage with more information when a significant number of doctors or hospitals no longer accept their insurance in the middle of the year.
“We write to you today to express our concerns about increasing turmoil and uncertainty for seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in the Medicare Advantage program,” Wyden and Warner wrote. “As of April 2025, there have been at least 13 states with ‘significant network changes,’ triggering a special enrollment period for MA enrollees in these states. These types of interruptions to the network cannot only affect enrollees' access to care that may already be planned or scheduled, leaving them without an in-network provider, but also leave MA enrollees confused about their coverage options.”
When a senior enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan loses a significant number of health providers from their plan in the middle of the year, CMS may allow them to switch plans in a “special enrollment period.” However, the circumstances for how these special enrollment periods are determined are opaque, and there is minimal notice to the public, states, and enrollees.
The letter calls on CMS to clarify how these special enrollment periods are determined, describe how seniors in Medicare are notified about plan changes, and additional information to improve transparency around these challenging circumstances.
The full letter can be found here.
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