The Healthcare News Network is a free daily guide to healthcare news for everyday readers and seniors. Each morning we explain the most important Medicare, insurance, medicine and public health news in plain English, with links to the original reporting.
Medicare open enrollment
About 3.2 million seniors must pick a new Medicare Advantage plan for 2027
Insurers are discontinuing plans that cover roughly 1 in 9 people in individual Medicare Advantage, based on an analysis of federal data, and more than a million people in stand-alone drug plans also need a new one. Even if your plan is staying, average out-of-pocket limits are rising about 10% and drug deductibles about 30%. Read your plan's change notice, compare options on Medicare.gov or with your free state SHIP counselor, and choose by Dec. 7. If your plan is ending, you have extra time, but picking early avoids gaps.
About 3.2 million
Medicare Advantage members whose plans won't return in 2027 (Medicare Market Insights analysis)
1 million+
Part D drug plan members who also need a new plan, per Oliver Wyman
Dec. 7
Last day of Medicare open enrollment to switch plans for Jan. 1
Scammers are posing as Medicare or insurers using faked caller ID, websites and official-looking mail. Officials stress that Medicare won't call to ask for your number. You can compare plans without giving it out, and suspected fraud can be reported to your state's Senior Medicare Patrol.
Average Advantage premiums are projected to fall to about $12 a month, yet 12 insurers are leaving the program and 15 have capped enrollment on 65 plans. Humana says about 600,000 members are affected by its exits. Check both the premium and the out-of-pocket limit before you switch.
Centene is leaving 344 counties, CVS 103 and UnitedHealthcare 63, while Devoted Health is adding 336. CMS says over 99% of people will still have at least one Advantage plan to choose from.
The National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals filed suit in federal court in Maryland over a CMS freeze that blocks nearly 19,000 new agents and brokers from selling HealthCare.gov plans for 2027. If you use an agent, confirm they're registered before open enrollment starts Nov. 1.
People who paid full price for a 2026 HealthCare.gov plan with no subsidy are getting a one-time $500 check per enrollee this month. There's nothing to apply for, and state-run exchange customers don't qualify. Delaware estimates about 7,200 residents are eligible.
More than 100,000 Arizonans on expansion Medicaid likely have chronic or complex conditions that could exempt them from work rules starting Jan. 1. In the first year, people can declare themselves medically frail, but proof may be needed later. Keep records of your diagnoses and treatments.
FDA tests found undeclared sildenafil, the drug in Viagra, plus acetaminophen. Sildenafil can drop blood pressure dangerously when taken with nitrate heart medicines. The product has been sold on eBay and other sites. Don't buy or use it.
Given with BCG, Anktiva is now approved for adults whose high-grade papillary bladder tumors haven't responded to BCG alone. FDA calls it the first treatment specifically for this group. In an earlier study, 62% of patients had a complete response.
Teva recalled about 240,000 cartons of 5 mg metoclopramide (generic Reglan) and American Health Packaging recalled 5,363 more after other tablets were found inside. Several compounded weight-loss shots were also recalled over sterility concerns. Ask your pharmacist if your supply is affected.
CDC added 330 cases in one week, and 451 people have been hospitalized this year. Pennsylvania's outbreak accounts for 1,260 cases and more than half of all hospitalizations. Two MMR doses give strong protection.
State health officials confirmed two adult deaths in central North Carolina. Older adults and people with conditions like diabetes or cancer face the highest risk of serious illness. There's no vaccine, so use repellent and cover up from dusk to dawn.
In a STAT opinion piece, two former Republican House members who are doctors argue that the measles surge threatens the nation's elimination status and that voters across parties support routine childhood shots.
HHS sent the White House a plan that would let pharmacies temporarily make some popular peptides, including BPC-157, which FDA had called too risky to compound. FDA staff say none have been proven safe or effective in people. Be cautious with online peptide offers.
Gov. Wes Moore says he'd sign a 2027 bill letting the state's drug affordability board adopt Medicare's negotiated prices for drugs like Ozempic and Jardiance, starting with state employee plans. Drugmakers oppose it.
Epic, whose software runs many hospital records, is building a tool to compare pharmacy cash prices with your insurance price at the doctor's office. Amazon Pharmacy and Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs are partners. It's planned for summer 2027.
The combined system would run 12 hospitals and about 400 clinics, with a planned $1 billion investment in research and community care. It needs regulator approval and is expected to close in early 2027.
Hospice of Santa Cruz County, now affiliated with Florida-based Chapters Health, is cutting at least 11 jobs, mostly nurses, starting today. Staff say many palliative patients were discharged; leaders say care won't be interrupted.
Santa Cruz Local
Frequently asked questions
What is The Healthcare News Network?
The Healthcare News Network (THCNN) is a free daily healthcare news site for everyday readers and seniors. Each morning we summarize the day's most important health news in plain English, with a link to the original reporting. It is published by GEMSI in South Florida.
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A new daily edition is published every morning. The Latest Health Headlines feed refreshes automatically about every 15 minutes from public sources such as KFF Health News and CMS.
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