Overview
- UCare and Medica announced a deal to transfer UCare’s Medicaid and individual/family contracts to Medica, with regulatory approval pending and closing targeted for the first quarter of 2026.
- More than 300,000 members in Minnesota and western Wisconsin are slated to transition, following UCare’s earlier exit from Medicare Advantage and cuts to Medicaid in 11 counties.
- Both nonprofits say people enrolled in UCare’s 2026 Medicaid and Individual and Family Plans will see no interruption in services, with benefits, premiums and provider networks expected to remain the same during the transfer.
- The Minnesota Department of Human Services is preparing an enrollment plan to preserve continuity for about 25,000 people in integrated Medicare-Medicaid products.
- UCare’s wind-down comes after heavy losses, including about $120 million in 2023 and nearly $500 million in 2024, while Medica says CEO Lisa Erickson will remain in place and it will evaluate bringing over UCare employees.