This week’s newsletter is Sponsored By: VRI
Improve access, strengthen engagement, support better outcomes → VRI
Here is what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter!
Important links 🔗 - the best articles we found this week about the Medicare Market along with links to Jared’s recent LinkedIn posts.
Deep Dive 📚 - Medigap Market Updates: Sept 2026
Sponsor Snapshot 🚀 - brought to you by VRI
It’s only a 5 minute read, but it will make you 10x smarter.
Here are IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗 for the week:
Broadband still a barrier to telehealth adoption, study finds - (link)
HCSC cuts Medicare Advantage footprint after Cigna deal - (link)
Rural-urban divide follows patients to end-of-life care, study says - (link)
Medicare AI Program Results in ‘Lengthy Treatment Delays’—New Data Shows - (link)
Senior poverty climbs just as Social Security future is in question - (link)
Eli Lilly CEO says 700,000 new seniors have started GLP-1s after Medicare coverage, and 70% are on Lilly drugs - (link)
Medicare Enrollment May Be AI’s Next Major Test In Regulated Commerce - (link)
Premium is outrunning cost again with one filer inflating the utilization story - (link)
NCQA reports number of 5-star health plans jumps 64% in latest ratings - (link)
Jared’s recent LinkedIn posts:
DEEP DIVE 📚
Medigap Market Updates: Sept 2026
This week’s deep dive is a continuation of the Medigap Market Update series and will cover recent happenings in the Medicare Supplement Insurance market.
—
Product Activity
→ Lumos Insurance has now filed Plans A, F, G, HDG, and N under its “Plateau Insurance Company” charter in the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, ND, NJ, NV, OH, OK, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WV, WY, and WI.
→ No other companies initiated new multi-state product filings during Q3.
—
Rate Increases
→ Analysis of 2026 open block rate increase filings show approved increases remain higher than previous years for all plans.
→ The following chart shows the average rate increases on open Medigap blocks for Plans F, G, N and HDG over the past three years.
—
Updated Medigap Claim Trend Estimates
→ 2025 loss ratio experience with claims runout through Q2 2026 suggests that Medigap claim cost trends remained elevated in 2025.
→ 2025 experience shows a trend of roughly 14% for Plan F, 12% for Plan G, and 10% for Plan N.
→ The all plan trend average over the past 3 years is just over 11%.
→ Loss Ratios continue to be elevated, but there are signs that 2026 loss ratios are improving for some carriers as past large rate increases go into effect.
—
Regulatory Updates
→ Rhode Island is expanding guarantee issue eligibility for individuals who have been covered by insurance other than a Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage plan with no gap in coverage greater than 90 days from the beginning of the individual’s open enrollment period.
→ Idaho approved legislature requiring carriers to accept third party payments for Medicare Supplement policies as long as payments do not violate the anti-kickback provisions of the Social Security Act.
For more detailed information on Regulatory changes, you can subscribe to our Insurance Regulatory Insights newsletter.
—
That is all for this Medicare Supplement market update!
SPONSOR SNAPSHOT 🚀: VRI
VRI is transforming the way members engage in and access care through home and community-based solutions. We’re there to help members live more confidently by enabling them to access the care they need - and our solutions deliver: we measurably address cost and close gaps in care across our services.
Learn how VRI can fit into your members’ coordinated care ecosystem with solutions such as:
Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS)
Device enabled virtual care management
Medication Management
Community Health Stations
E3 - Engage, Educate, Empower to address health literacy and support gap closure
Supportive Care That’s Always There → VRI
What MMI + Subscribers read this week…
Tea Leaves - AEP 2027 🍂 - Repository of 2027 AEP changes / opportunities (last updated 8/10/2026) - (link)
Non-Commissionable Plans - Aetna - (link) - A look at Aetna's Non-Commissionable Plans for Plan Year 2027
Insurance Regulatory Insights September 2026 - (link)
September ‘26 MA/MAPD and PDP enrollment data - July enrollment data has been loaded. Here are a few observations. (link)
Receive regulatory updates with the Insurance Regulatory Insights newsletter.
Monthly newsletters providing insight into recent insurance regulatory action
Access to Reg Tracker, a comprehensive list of insurance regulatory actions in all states for this calendar year that are included in the newsletters.
Insurance Regulatory Insights is now included in your MMI+ subscription! You can also subscribe using the link below.
How was today's newsletter?
If you’re ready, here are some ways we can help you:
Did this get forwarded to you? Get the Medicare Market Insights newsletter sent directly to your email weekly:
