If you or someone you love is on Medicare Advantage, take this season seriously. The choices you make in the next few months will impact your health and your wallet all year long.
Brad Dyer, CEO of Hometown Senior Solutions
By now, many seniors in Maine and across the country have opened their Annual Notice of Change letters from their current insurance company and received news they weren’t expecting. Benefit reductions, shrinking provider networks, or in some cases, complete market exits by Medicare Advantage carriers.
These changes aren’t small. We’re seeing prescription drug copays rise, dental and vision extras scaled back, and out-of-pocket limits pushed higher. Even more concerning, some insurance companies are leaving certain counties altogether, forcing thousands of seniors to find a new plan, often with fewer choices than before.
Why is this happening?
Medicare Advantage plans are funded by the federal government. Each year, reimbursement rates and rules for insurers are set. Recently, those payments haven’t kept pace with rising healthcare costs. Carriers are making tough choices—either cut benefits, raise premiums, or walk away from markets where they can’t stay competitive.
For seniors, this isn’t just a policy debate. It’s deeply personal. Many rely on these plans not just for their medical coverage, but also for affordable prescriptions, fitness programs, transportation to appointments, and dental care. When benefits are cut, real people feel it.
Our message to the community is simple: Don’t wait until January to be surprised.
Schedule an appointment to meet with someone now.
Ask questions.
When looking for resources and people to help you with all the confusion, findability, credibility, and trust are more important than ever. Seniors deserve a clear understanding of all their options. They deserve honest, local guidance from people who live here in Maine, not from a call center a thousand miles away.
Even if your carrier is staying, your benefits may look very different in 2026.
If you or someone you love is on Medicare Advantage, take this season seriously. The choices you make in the next few months will impact your health and your wallet all year long.
Medicare may be complicated, but one thing is simple: our community looks out for one another. By staying informed and supporting our neighbors, we can help make sure no one is left behind during this season of change. One minute you’re cruising toward retirement; and the next, you’re hit with all the BIG decisions.
At Hometown Senior Solutions, we pride ourselves on being a caring team of professionals dedicated to helping seniors navigate the complexities of health insurance, Medicare and Social Security, tax preparation and other challenges that seniors face. We work diligently to provide guidance and support throughout the process.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure that our clients have the best plan for their medical needs, without sacrificing their financial stability.