Samaritan Health Plans to Exit Medicare Advantage Market in 2026 October 1, 2025 Beginning with the 2026 plan year, Samaritan Health Plans will exit the Medicare Advantage (MA) market. This means that Samaritan Health Plans will no longer offer its three MA health plans — Premier, Premier Plus and Valor. A D-SNP plan for those who have dual eligibility under Medicare and Medicaid will still be available. Contributing to this decision are the steady increases in member utilization of plan benefits that continue to outpace premium revenue, including what is received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to administer Advantage plans. “This decision was not made lightly, and it is disheartening, to say the least, but we simply cannot continue to offer these plans at a loss,” said Bruce Butler, CEO of Samaritan Health Plans. “We have not been immune to the nationwide challenges in health care and as part of an integrated health system, we needed to evaluate how these plans are impacting the overall well-being and long-term sustainability of Samaritan Health Services.” Butler shared that despite a 5.06% planned increase from CMS for Medicare Advantage plans in 2026, increased costs of care, changes to federal reimbursements and changes in the demographics of enrollees continue to make it challenging to break even and maintain competitive premiums and reimburse providers at a rate that is at least comparable to what they would receive from a traditional Medicare plan. Current Samaritan Advantage members covered by the Premier, Premier Plus and Valor plans do not need to take any action until Oct. 15, which is when the open enrollment period begins for the 2026 plan year. In addition, anyone entering Medicare eligibility between now and Nov. 30, can still sign up for a Samaritan Advantage plan and be covered through Dec. 31, 2025. To see what other Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties, visit medicare.gov/plan-compare. For a list of plans Samaritan health care providers are in network with, visit samhealth.org/InsuranceBilling.
