BOSTON, MA — Mass General Brigham Health Plan is removing Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from its Medicare Advantage network starting Oct. 1, a change that will affect about 1,000 patients. For people who have spent years building care routines around Dana-Farber, the decision means new questions about coverage, medication, and whether they can keep seeing the same specialists.
Eldon Clingan, who has been treated for prostate cancer since 1999, said the notice added to the anxiety that already comes with living with cancer. He has seen the same oncologist for more than 20 years and now worries about whether treatment and medicine will still be covered the way he needs.
A longtime patient says the change threatens stable cancer care
Clingan, 88, said he received a letter last month telling him his care at Dana-Farber would no longer be covered by his insurance. He said that after decades of treatment, the decision feels like an abrupt disruption to a relationship that has been central to his care.
He also raised a practical concern many patients share: whether expensive medication will still be paid for. Clingan said he wants to stay with the doctor who has treated him for 23 years and remain on the medication she prescribed, but he does not know for sure how he can do both under the new arrangement.
What changes on Oct. 1 and what the transition period allows
Under the new setup, Dana-Farber will no longer be part of Mass General Brigham Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage provider network after Oct. 1. That does not mean patients lose all coverage immediately. MGB says impacted members can continue receiving the same care during a 90-day transition period…