Memorial Hermann Health Plan will stop covering its Medicare Advantage members after December 31, 2026, and the plan will not be offered at all in 2027. Members are not left without a path. Memorial Hermann says a special enrollment period runs through February 28, 2027, which gives people in the closing plan extra time to join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. The plan is one of a dozen leaving the market for 2027. The date that shapes the most decisions is December 31, because it controls when replacement coverage can begin.
Which plans are closing
The closure covers the Memorial Hermann Medicare Advantage Plan, which the insurer sells as Memorial Hermann Advantage HMO and, for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, as Memorial Hermann Dual Advantage. Medicare Advantage is the private-plan alternative to Original Medicare, run by an insurer that is paid by the federal government to cover members’ care. Memorial Hermann describes the decision as a difficult one to wind down and ultimately close the plan.
Current coverage does not stop early. Memorial Hermann’s program-closing notice says members stay covered under the plan through December 31, 2026, and that prescription drug coverage continues through the same date. Members who receive Extra Help, the federal program that lowers drug costs for people with limited income, will see that assistance move with them to a new plan. Customer service for the closing plan is (855) 645-8448.
The exit is part of a wider retreat. Becker’s Payer Issues reported on September 30 that 12 payers are exiting Medicare Advantage in 2027, eight of them owned in whole or in part by health systems, and listed Memorial Hermann among those leaving Texas. Becker’s put the plan’s footprint at six Texas counties. Memorial Hermann’s notice does not list counties, so members should confirm with the plan how their own county is affected.
For a member of the closing plan, the practical question is which coverage to pick and by what date. Anyone who wants a replacement plan active on January 1, 2027, has to act by December 31. That means comparing 2027 plans on three things at once: monthly cost, whether each prescription is on the drug list, and whether current doctors and hospitals take the plan.
Medicare Advantage members who need to line up doctors, drugs and costs across several 2027 plans can use The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit, a paid and optional guide that includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors and a prescription-by-plan comparison.
Enrollment dates and when new coverage starts
Memorial Hermann’s notice sets October 15, 2026, as the day members can begin enrolling in a new plan. That matches the start of Medicare’s annual fall enrollment, which runs October 15 to December 7. The closing plan adds a second, longer window: a special enrollment period that continues through February 28, 2027, because the plan is not being renewed. Members who miss December 7 are not shut out.
The effective date depends on the day a request is received. According to Memorial Hermann, a new plan chosen by December 31, 2026, starts on January 1, 2027, so there is no gap after the old plan ends. A request made from January 1 through February 28, 2027, starts on the first day of the following month. Someone who waits until February 10 would therefore begin new coverage on March 1.
That timing creates a real risk for people who rely on regular care. A member who delays past the end of the year has no Memorial Hermann coverage in January. The special window protects the right to choose, but it does not backdate coverage, so the later the request, the longer the stretch without a plan.
Medigap rights and the Original Medicare option
Some members may prefer to leave Medicare Advantage altogether. Memorial Hermann’s notice says members who are not in the Dual Advantage plan may have guaranteed issue rights to buy certain Medicare Supplement policies, known as Medigap. Medigap is sold by private insurers and pays some costs Original Medicare leaves behind, such as deductibles and coinsurance. Guaranteed issue means an insurer must sell the policy regardless of health history, which is the main reason the right matters.
The notice is careful with the wording: members “may have” these rights, and Dual Advantage members are treated separately. The notice also gives the Texas Department of Insurance number, (800) 252-3439, for questions about Medigap in the state. Returning to Original Medicare also means choosing a separate Part D drug plan, since Medigap policies do not include drug coverage.
Memorial Hermann’s dual plan serves people who have both Medicare and Medicaid, and that group faces a different set of choices than other members. The notice points them to Texas Health and Human Services at (800) 964-2777 and to 1-800-MEDICARE at (800) 633-4227 for help with what coverage fits next. Neither the plan nor the state has said whether dual-eligible members will be moved automatically.
Choosing a replacement before the December cutoffs
Medicare’s Plan Finder lets people enter their ZIP code, drugs and pharmacies and compare 2027 plans side by side. Members can also reach Medicare around the clock through 1-800-MEDICARE, and the Medicare contact page says State Health Insurance Assistance Programs help people choose a plan, review coverage and apply for Extra Help.
The decision turns on a short list of facts. Each 2027 plan has its own drug list, so every prescription needs to be checked against the plan’s formulary. Doctors and hospitals are in or out of a plan’s network, and a call to each provider’s office settles it faster than a directory listing. Premiums matter less than the total of premium, deductible and copays for the care actually used.
The calendar is the final constraint. A choice made by December 31 starts January 1, and the window through February 28, 2027, leaves a safety net rather than a plan. Memorial Hermann has not said how many members it covers or how many will need to pick a new plan.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit adds a provider call script and the Open Enrollment calendar for anyone checking doctor networks and dates after a plan closes. It is a paid, optional guide that works next to Medicare’s own Plan Finder, not in place of it.
Click here to get The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by The Money Overview’s editorial team.
