Scripps No Longer Accepting Medicare Advantage Plans
Scripps Health is one of San Diego County's largest hospital networks, treating more than 600,000 patients annually. In late September, Scripps announced that its clinic and coastal medical groups will no longer accept Medicare Advantage plans in 2024.
Options for Current Medicare Advantage Enrollees
The move away from Medicare Advantage will impact more than 32,000 current Scripps patients. These seniors have two main options:
Switch to a Medicare Supplement plan, or
Leave Scripps and find a hospital network in San Diego County that accepts Medicare Advantage.
On their website, Scripps confirmed that they will still accept Medicare Supplement plans after their move away from Medicare Advantage plans. This news is not surprising as, unlike Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement plans have no networks and are accepted anywhere that accepts Medicare.
Typically, however, a patient moving from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Medicare Supplement plan faces two obstacles: (1) increased monthly premiums and (2) passing medical underwriting. The best Medicare Supplement plans in San Diego County start at about $130/month in premium. Since Medicare Advantage plans often have $0 monthly premiums, this expense can be difficult to swallow. That said, aside from the annual deductible, the best Medicare Supplement plans can pay for all medical expenses with no co-pays or other fees, ultimately saving a sick patient money in the long run. Therein lies the second issue: a sick patient likely can't pass underwriting. Fortunately, this year during Annual Enrollment, some carriers are offering patients the opportunity to switch from Medicare Advantage to Medicare Supplement with no medical underwriting. For those impacted by Scripps no longer accepting Medicare Advantage, this could be a very attractive opportunity.
For many current Scripps patients, the extra premium costs of Medicare Supplement simply prove unaffordable, making Medicare Advantage their only option. We recommend taking advantage of the current Open Enrollment to : (1) explore hospitals and doctors that will remain in your current Medicare Advantage plan's network in 2024 and (2) look into other Medicare Advantage insurance carriers to see if there are plans with larger networks or additional benefits.
A major change like Scripps Health no longer accepting Medicare Advantage can be a huge stressor, but fortunately there are some choices available and now is the specific time of year when switching plans is an option.
If you'd like to speak with one of our agents regarding Medicare options in San Diego County, feel free to give us a call or you can schedule a review at this calendar link: Schedule a Phone Meeting.