Two Medicare Advantage plans to end in Clark County
The pool of Medicare alternatives will shrink in 2013.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Wednesday that two big insurers have canceled Medicare Advantage plans in Clark County for the upcoming year. Medicare Advantage is private, supplemental insurance that covers benefits Medicare doesn't cover, such as hearing and vision care.
UnitedHealth Group, Nevada's largest insurer, no longer will offer its Sierra Nevada Spectrum Medicare Advantage program here. The move affects benefits for 3,464 local members.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield also withdrew its local Medicare Advantage plan, affecting 4,430 enrollees.
But both companies said they offer alternatives for seniors who are losing their plan.
UnitedHealth's MedicareComplete HMO has no monthly premium and covers prescription drugs, vision, hearing and dental care, company representatives said in a statement.
Plus, Doug Bennett, public relations director of Anthem parent WellPoint, said the company's CareMore family of senior health clinics will still offer Medicare Advantage coverage to local members through special-needs plans for people with chronic conditions and for people in HMOs.
Jack Cheevers, a spokesman for the CMS, said locals still have 12 Medicare Advantage plans to choose from in 2013. Also, patients can switch to original Medicare, through which they can choose their own providers.
Open enrollment began Oct. 15 and continues through Dec. 7.
Bennett said the cancellation is not the result of new regulations in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Rather, the company weighed several factors before it cut the program.
"Like all carriers, we evaluate our plans every year as part of the CMS bidding process," Bennett said. "We decided to non-renew in Clark County after evaluating member needs, affordability, cost and long-term sustainability."
UnitedHealth officials said the company considered "regulatory changes as well as local market dynamics" in its decision.
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @J_Robison1 on Twitter.
