Bad News and Really Great News

Suze Orman's Women & Money (And Everyone Smart Enough To Listen)

Suze Orman opens with a warning about major disruptions coming to Medicare Advantage plans in 2027, as large insurers are cutting back offerings due to rising medical costs and shifting

Key takeaways

• Major health insurers are reducing Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, potentially dropping networks and benefits in certain counties.
• Suze Orman warns that $0 premiums do not equal $0 healthcare costs when patients actually need medical services.

Main topics

• Medicare Advantage plan cuts for 2027
• Health insurance network and benefit changes

Notable quotes

A $0 premium does not mean $0 health care.

Conclusion

Listeners gain critical awareness of impending Medicare Advantage disruptions

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Hi, everybody. Suzy O here. You're listening to the Women in Money podcast. Now, normally right here, there is a promo for the sponsor of the Women in Money podcast. However, I want you to listen to this podcast all the way through this particular one. The first part are things you really need to know, especially if you are older, that I don't think is very great news. The second part is really great. great news and something I hope all of you take advantage of. So make sure you listen all the way through. Are you ready? Let's begin. Speaker 3 (0:49) October 4th, 2026. Hi, everybody. Suzy O here and welcome to the Women in Money podcast. And everybody's smart enough to listen. I am recording this podcast on October 1st because we are about to leave to go to LA on October 4th. I'll be giving the closing keynote. at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California. And hopefully if you want, I'm sure there's still some tickets left. If not, just come in, but go to suzyorman.com slash empower. And if you can't be there, just scroll down and that is where you can sign up for a free stream and watch it all. So I don't know, that might be a whole lot of fun. However, After my talk, I am doing a meet and greet. And just know for those of you who will be there, they're calling it a book signing, but you do not have to buy a book to come and greet me or take a picture with me or do whatever. So I'm kind of excited to see what happens there. From there, on October 5th, we make our way to Istanbul for three days. Then on October 9th, We will be in Kenya. October 12th, we will be in Paris. And who knows after that, but we should be back after about October 22nd, just so you know. All right. Now, today, I have to tell you, is a very interesting day. Get out your notebooks, because today is Susie School. And I have two things I want to talk about. to you about. The first part of this Susie School is something that you need to know that isn't great news. I'm just going to tell you that right now for many, many of you. The second part, however, is absolutely incredible news. And I know if you're smart, you're going to love what I have to tell you for the second part of this. podcast. Do you remember last week, I gave you a masterclass on Medicare, and I briefly talked about Medicare Advantage. And I said, as I've always said, Speaker 3 (3:23) please, if you can, get Medicare and Medigap insurance and stay away from Medicare Advantage. Well, of course, many of you wrote me, and what did you do? You said, Susie, why don't you like Medicare Advantage? It has worked so well for me. And I wrote you back, and you know who all of you are. And I said, have you ever tried to make a claim? And you said, no. I said, have you ever been sick or had to really use it? And you said, no. I said, well, one day when you need it, you're going to find out why I don't like it. But there is another reason I don't like it. And here it is. Bloomberg reported on October 1st, and that is the day I'm recording this. So it's just happened today. that major health insurers are cutting back their Medicare Advantage offerings for 2027. What does that mean? It means some plans are going to disappear. Some insurers are leaving certain counties altogether. It means benefits can change, networks can change, and some people who have a Medicare Advantage plan today may discover that the plan that they have relied on All those people that wrote me, they've relied upon it, simply will not be the same plan available to them next year, or worse yet, it may not be available at all. But why, Susie? Are you wondering why is this happening? Listen, you all need to remember something. You know, insurance companies are not my favorite thing, but that is besides the point. Insurance companies, however, are businesses and they have shareholders. Oh, they have expenses. They have to make money. And Medicare Advantage has become more challenging for some of the insurers as medical costs, you know, inflation just hasn't hit your food or your gasoline, right? It has also hit medical costs. And when medical costs go up and all of you are using more healthcare, when your prescription drugs and what they cost have increased, and the government has changed how some Medicare Advantage payments are calculated, guess what happens? Uh-huh. Insurance companies are looking at the plans and the geographic areas, everybody, that are not producing the financial results that they want. They're not caring about you. They're not caring if you're going to get sick and you're in one of those geographic locations. But when they find a geographic location that's costing them too much money, what are they doing? They are pulling back. Now, I don't