The Brief
• Some organizations are ending Medicare Advantage coverage in multiple Driftless Area counties
• Thousands of residents in Wisconsin and Minnesota counties must find new insurance plans during open enrollment
• Changes stem from prescription drug cost limits and reduced Medicare contract payments to insurance companies
VIROQUA, Wis. (WKBT) — Thousands of Medicare recipients across the Driftless Area will need to find new health insurance after major providers announced they will no longer offer Medicare Advantage plans in the some parts of the region.
Quartz confirmed to News 8 that it will no longer offer a Medicare Advantage plans in counties south of La Crosse for 2026.
In a statement, a Quartz official wrote:
“Each year, Quartz conducts a careful review of our product offerings to ensure they deliver the value and quality our members expect from a Quartz plan. After an extensive review, we made the difficult decision to withdraw our Medicare Advantage product … where we determined we could not maintain a competitive offering.”
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will also reportedly make changes, according to Insurance Agent Marshall Pierce with Onalaska’s Hougom Insurance Agency.
In a statement to News 8 he wrote that Anthem will only “offer Medicare Advantage plans to individuals who have both Medicare and Medicaid in our local area for 2026.”
“It’s different in every county, but a lot of plans are being impacted. I think statistically nationwide 2 million people are being exited off their plans,” said Rick Teska, the owner and CEO of Strive Medicare in La Crosse.
Teska specifically mentioned that Wisconsin’s Vernon, Jackson, Crawford, Juneau and Richland counties will see some coverage losses. So will Minnesota’s Winona and Houston counties.
“I’ve been doing this for 41 years … and I will say all those years, these are the biggest changes that I’ve ever seen,” Teska said.
Vernon County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center hosted a meeting about the changes Wednesday afternoon.
Hundreds packed into the meeting at Viroqua’s Bethel Home Fellowship Hall, with many having to be turned away at the door due to capacity limits.
“Everybody’s petrified,” said one attendee. “Health care is very important to people. It’s very expensive, and we need people to wake up and realize this and do something about it.”
Two major factors drive coverage exits
Teska identified two primary reasons behind the insurance companies’ decisions to exit the market.
The first involves limits on prescription drug costs that shifted financial liability to insurance companies.
“What happened was that when you limit out-of-pocket to $2000, somebody is going to pay for that. So what happened was the liability was on the insurance companies. So now they have to pick up that extra cost,” Teska explained.
The second factor stems from changes to Medicare itself that reduced payments to insurance providers.
“All Medicare Advantage plans negotiate a price to take care of their services with Medicare, they contract. And a lot of those pricings or contracts they negotiated with Medicare were cut,” Teska said.
Options remain for affected residents
Despite the disruption, Teska emphasized that alternatives exist for those losing coverage. He recommends affected residents contact local independent insurance agencies to explore their options.
“A lot of times we can tailor plans so they don’t have to change their doctor. They can keep the same doctor, keep the same pharmacy,” Teska said.
Pierce also advises to take action early.
“If you do nothing, you may revert to Original Medicare only, which could leave you with higher out-of-pocket costs,” he wrote in a statement.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Vernon County residents expressed frustration with elected officials.
“I’m hoping that people remember all these issues and these problems when they go to the voting booth next time. But how we are going to live through the time until we get there, it’s going to be very difficult,” an attendee said.
Open enrollment for Medicare starts next week on Wednesday, Oct. 15 and runs until Sunday Dec. 7.
In his statement, Pierce wrote there is a special enrollment period for those losing coverage. That period will be from Monday, Dec. 8 to Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
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Source: Some Medicare Advantage plans will not be offered for certain Driftless Area counties,
