State retirees' UnitedHealthcare Medicare premiums jump more than 50% for 2027 as Providence St. Peter leaves the network

Washington state retirees on UnitedHealthcare's PEBB Complete Medicare Advantage plan will pay $342.87 a month starting Jan. 1, up from $220.18, according to the Washington State Health Care Authority. That's $122.69 more a month for one retiree, a 56% increase. For a couple with both spouses on Medicare, the premium goes from $434.61 to $679.30, or $244.69 more a month.

Retirees can switch plans during the Public Employees Benefits Board's open enrollment, Oct. 26 through Nov. 23.

What the other plans cost. UnitedHealthcare's PEBB Balance plan rises 62%, to $279.61 for one retiree. Kaiser Permanente WA Medicare Advantage, the Kaiser Medicare plan offered in Thurston County, barely moves, from $220.61 to $221.88. Uniform Medical Plan Classic Medicare, administered by Regence BlueShield, rises 17% to $396.02, the highest PEBB Medicare premium. Premera's Plan G supplement, which has no drug coverage, rises to $143.42. All figures are after the state's subsidy of up to $183 and exclude the Medicare Part B premium.

Why rates rose. In a June briefing to the board, which approved the rates July 9, HCA tied UnitedHealthcare's increase to federal Medicare Advantage risk-scoring changes that cut payments to some plans, Inflation Reduction Act changes to Part D drug benefits, and heavy use of care by PEBB members. HCA said the increase was in line with or lower than those for UnitedHealthcare's other employer groups.

A network change. Providence hospitals and clinics in Washington, including St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, leave UnitedHealthcare's Medicare Advantage and group retiree networks Jan. 1, according to UnitedHealthcare and HCA. UnitedHealthcare says group retiree PPO members can still see out-of-network providers who accept the plan, usually at the same cost, and patients in active treatment may qualify for continued care. Providence says members who want to keep in-network access will need to change plans.

Kaiser's network. Some residents have raised questions about doctor turnover at Kaiser and whether its Medicare plan refers patients to nearby specialists or to Tacoma and Seattle. HCA's June board materials note that Kaiser WA will cover 10 round-trip rides a year to network providers, up from six, and cite "recent specialty network adjustments" without saying which specialties or locations changed. Retirees can check each plan's provider directory through HCA's Contact the plans page.

Two deadlines. Medicare's open enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, but PEBB retirees must change plans through HCA by Nov. 23, in Benefits 24/7 by 11:59 p.m. or on a paper Form A-OE that arrives by that day. HCA warns that retirees in a PEBB plan with Part D who join an outside Medicare plan could lose PEBB coverage.

Where to get help. HCA's benefits fair is Monday, Nov. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Department of Labor and Industries, 7273 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater. The PEBB Program is at 1-800-200-1004. SHIBA, the insurance commissioner's free Medicare counseling service, is at 1-800-562-6900; locally, call Senior Services for South Sound at 360-586-6181, ext. 134.