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Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is warning seniors that they could have a “worse” Medicare experience next year. “Sometimes these policies change without you knowing it, and you will have a worse experience next year, so even if you’re happy, just take a quick look,” Oz said in an interview with Rhode Island news station WJAR. “Insurance companies change, you change, the opportunities that are out there are quite great.” Why It Matters Roughly half of American seniors are enrolled in traditional Medicare, while the other half rely on privatized Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans. These plans can often offer added benefits like prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage, but the changes in providers and premium costs can vary from year to year. Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on October 16, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) What To Know Oz told WJAR that seniors should potentially expect the price of Medicare Part B to rise, while the price of Part D, which covers drugs, should actually decrease. “Medicare Part B might be going up, but Medicare Part D, which is the benefit where you go to the drugstore, that’s actually going down a little bit, and the Medicare Advantage prices, in general, are dropping so there’s some up, there’s some down,” Oz said. “In general, we fought hard for you to try to keep the prices stable. I think we’ve achieved that goal, but you will not be getting the most benefit from this if you don’t pick the right plan.” Oz also urged seniors relying on Medicare to carefully review what changes are made to their plan from year to year. The best advice for Medicare open enrollment is to review your plan every renewal season, said Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group. “Do not just blindly auto-renew your current policy, as provisions and coverages change year to year,” Powers told Newsweek. “This is the type of coverage that should be inspected in deep detail every fall.” Still, Medicare costs could even out depending on which parts recipients are accessing based on their needs, according to Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin. “The primary concern, obviously, is with inflationary pressures weighing heavily on seniors already, further rising costs in health care will strain their finances further. With health care services being essential, this could cause further personal budget cuts that could affect other industries,” Beene told Newsweek. Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, said the real story isn’t that Part B is going up while Part D is going down. “It’s that 40 percent of your Social Security COLA is about to evaporate into higher Medicare costs before you see a dime. That’s the hidden tax seniors aren’t tracking,” Ryan told Newsweek. “The ‘worse experience’ warning is spot on, though. Insurers are slashing networks, hiking deductibles, and pulling out of entire counties. If you auto-renew without checking, you could wake up January 1 and discover your cardiologist is no longer covered or your co-pays doubled. I’ve seen this exact scenario hurt retirement budgets.” What People Are Saying Kumar Dharmarajan, chief medical officer at World Class Health, told Newsweek: “Dr. Oz is right that some seniors could see differences in their Medicare experience next year, but it’s not all negative. Each year, plans can change, some may expand benefits like dental or vision, while others might adjust networks or costs. Even small updates can impact coverage, so it’s worth going online to review your 2025 plan details and make sure your doctors, prescriptions, and benefits still meet your needs.” Chris Fong, a Medicare specialist and the CEO of Smile Insurance Group, told Newsweek: “This Annual Enrollment Period has been an eye-opener for many people who would normally let their plan renew with barely a glance at the changes. The comments made by Dr. Oz allude to the fact that many plans are experiencing dramatic changes. Some plans have copays increasing, benefits decreasing, a combination of both, or are simply no longer being offered.” “It is true that for some it may feel like a ‘worse’ Medicare experience due to the changes their plan is going to have for next year. We always encourage people to review your plan changes and reach out to a reputable Medicare Insurance Agent or Broker to discuss their options.” What People Are Saying Fong said he advises his clients to start looking at Medigap before Medicare Advantage because there are many benefits they might miss out on. “We are currently seeing a trend towards Chronic Special Nee...
