Local insurance agent warns Calaveras seniors as Medicare Advantage plans leave for 2026

Laurel Jolliffe, owner-manager of Life Matters Insurance and Financial Solutions, told meeting attendees that multiple Medicare Advantage plans serving Calaveras County will end coverage for 2026, leaving Humana as the only remaining carrier and affecting “over 500 people in our county alone, just Calaveras, are losing their health insurance,” she said.

Jolliffe, who said she has served the Northern California foothills for more than 17 years, explained differences between original Medicare with a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) policy and Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, and described enrollment consequences for people whose Advantage plans terminate. “They can go away,” she said, describing Advantage plans’ ability to change benefits, networks and premiums from year to year.

Why it matters: Jolliffe said residents who lose a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan are generally guaranteed the right to buy a Medigap supplement without medical underwriting but must meet several enrollment timing requirements for drug coverage and supplement effectiveness. She advised doing plan…