Hawaii's largest health insurer is cutting back its Medicare Advantage plans, which is bad news for seniors who now face higher costs or lost coverage.

• HMSA is changing or ending Medicare Advantage plans, and some members are losing prescription coverage their doctors ordered.
• The reason given is rising medical and drug costs that made the old plans too expensive to keep offering.
• Meanwhile HMSA executive pay has climbed sharply since 2020, with the CEO's compensation up about 75% — and no promise that those raises will be trimmed too.
• Affected members are being mailed packets with 2027 plan options and enrollment forms, but many older customers don't use websites or phones and found the first letters confusing.

Outlook: Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, so seniors have a short window to switch plans before the new coverage takes effect.