Today

Humana to drop hundreds of thousands of Medicare Advantage plans

Good morning. Humana is dropping thousands of Medicare Advantage plans nationwide, which could leave hundreds of thousands of older adults needing to find new coverage. This comes as a separate report finds that half of Medicare Advantage plans will face tougher star-rating thresholds in 2027, a change that can affect bonus payments and, in turn, the benefits insurers offer.

Regulators are also warning that Medicare scam calls and emails are surging, urging people to be cautious about anyone asking for personal or payment information over the phone. Separately, two major Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases made news: a man was sentenced for a $64 million Medicaid fraud scheme, and another was accused of submitting $137 million in fake Medicare claims through a shell company.

On the care-quality side, an audit found Minnesota's assisted living inspections are behind schedule, raising questions about how well problems at these facilities are being caught. Meanwhile, thousands of Minnesota nursing home workers are getting raises this week under new minimum wage standards.