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As Medicare Advantage plans pull out of New Hampshire, seniors in Cheshire County are facing difficult decisions about where they will get health insurance next year. Below is a guide to the only two insurers that will offer Medicare Advantage plans in Cheshire County in 2026. Medicare Advantage is a privatized version of Medicare that offers lower premiums but requires more prior authorizations for services. Seniors can always switch to traditional Medicare, but the premiums are significantly higher than Medicare Advantage plans. More resources for navigating the Medicare Advantage system can be found at Medicare.gov. Humana is a private health insurer that is offering Medicare Advantage plans in Cheshire County in 2026. However, a contractual dispute between Humana and several members of the Dartmouth Health system, including Cheshire Medical Center, means the Keene hospital is not in Humana’s network. One of Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans in Cheshire County is Humana Gold Plus, which is a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan that requires referrals from a primary care provider for specialty services. The HumanaChoice Giveback plan and Humana USAA Honor Giveback plan are preferred provider organization (PPO) plans that allow beneficiaries to see providers without a referral from their primary care physician. Seniors on Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans can still go to Cheshire Medical Center or to other members of the Dartmouth Health system, although these medical facilities will be out-of-network for people on those plans. In an email, Audra Burns, Dartmouth Health’s media relations director, told The Sentinel that for patients needing to be hospitalized at Cheshire Medical, “Humana Medicare Advantage would have to approve the hospitalization before it occurs since the admission would be to an out-of-network hospital.” To get in-network care, seniors with Humana Medicare Advantage plans will have to travel to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Vermont or Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough. The full list of Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans offered in Cheshire County can be found on Humana’s website. WellSense is a nonprofit health insurer that is accepted at Cheshire Medical Center. The only Medicare Advantage plan WellSense will offer in Cheshire County next year is its Added Value HMO plan. More information on this plan can be found on WellSense’s website.
