Vermont
These Vermonters are about to lose their Medicare Advantage plans and they’re scrambling
Angela Myers doesn’t know what she’s going to do.
The 54-year-old from Chittenden County lives with a disability. When she needed better health insurance, she said her doctors recommended Vermont Blue Advantage, a type of Medicare provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield that could offer her extra benefits and reduced costs.
She’s been on the plan for five years, she said, and it covers all her frequent doctor visits and monthly prescriptions.
But she’s going to lose that insurance soon.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont announced Oct. 1 that it would drop Medicare Advantage coverage in 2026, leaving the thousands of Vermonters like Meyers scrambling to secure new plans before the turn of the year. Vermont Blue Advantage covers over 26,000 people in Vermont, the company told the Burlington Free Press, and has more complete coverage than traditional Medicare, including dental work and prescriptions.
The company, which is paid by the government to run the program, says it costs too much. The “Vermont Medicare Advantage market is unsustainable for Vermont Blue Advantage to be able to offer reasonably priced and affordable products to serve as an alternative to traditional Medicare coverage,” Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont said when announcing the plan.
That’s been the national trend, with Medicare Advantage plans whittled down across many states. But for a low-population place like Vermont, the disruption for people is magnified.
A big problem with choosing a new Medicare Advantage plan is that there just aren’t many offered in Vermont. The same day Vermont Blue Advantage announced its cut, UnitedHealthcare did the same. United, itself one of the largest purveyors of Medicare Advantage plans across the country, serves almost 8,000 Vermonters, the company told the Free Press.
Medicare Advantage plans in Vermont
As of September, over 51,600 Vermonters were insured by a Medicare Advantage plan, and over 168,000 people were eligible, government data shows.
Advantage plans are run by private companies but funded by the federal government. They are for people 65 and older or who have a disability. More than half of U.S. residents eligible for Medicare Advantage are insured under it, according to KFF, a national health care reporting and research outfit.
Vermonters skew under that trend at 34% for 2024, KFF reported. But the number has been rising. A decade prior, only 7% of eligible Vermonters used an Advantage plan.
Even so, the options are slimming. Insurance plans shuttering has become almost an annual tradition in Vermont. Two Advantage plans — operated by MVP and WellCare — folded this past January.
Come next year, the only option for those seeking an individual Medicare Advantage plan is Humana, which serves Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Orange, Windam and Windsor counties, or less than half the counties in Vermont.
People losing health insurance feel ‘abandoned’
Larry Mindell of Williston said he and his wife signed up with Vermont Blue Advantage after MVP cancelled its coverage. He said they feel “abandoned” by the companies and worry this may only be the beginning of a sharper downturn.
“I say ‘abandon’ because that’s what it feels like, and it’s happening to us for the second year in a row,” Mindell said.
Mindell has been working with an insurance broker to find a new plan, but that’s not an option everyone has.
Some were able to be proactive in changing their plans. The Vermont Treasurer’s Office announced Sept. 11 that starting next year, retired teachers receiving health insurance from Vermont Blue Advantage will be covered by equivalent plans from HealthSpring.
The change will impact over 7,000 retirees and beneficiaries in Vermont, says the Treasurer’s Office. The decision came after Vermont Blue Advantage proposed a 50% premium increase in July, and it proved to be a good one as Blue Cross Blue Shield pulled the plan altogether just a few months later.
Other people were not prepared to lose their insurance.
Frankin County resident Barb Fichter has been living in Vermont since 2022 and said it took her a few years to find an Advantage plan she was happy with before choosing Blue Cross Blue Shield’s offering in January 2024.
Now, she’s back to where she started.
“It’s so disconcerting to wade through alternatives, and I fear I may just be on regular Medicare with no prescription drug coverage or dental coverage,” Fichter said. “I’m going to have to weigh out which things I’m going to have to give up because I can’t afford the costs or co-pays.”
When is Medicare open enrollment? Special enrollment if you’re losing coverage?
The annual open enrollment period for choosing new Medicare plans runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. There is a special enrollment period for those who will be losing coverage, allowing them until March 4 to find a new plan.
But as the current plans end by Jan. 1, 2026, people will have a gap in coverage if they wait to sign up for a new one.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
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Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
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