Thousands of older San Diegans are getting an unwelcome surprise in the mail: notices telling them their primary-care doctors are no longer in their Medicare Advantage network and it is time to pick someone new. The reshuffling of which plans local hospital systems will accept is forcing seniors into a stressful three-way choice between switching plans, paying more for supplemental coverage, or walking away from doctors they have seen for years right in the middle of ongoing care.
What changed and who it affects
UC San Diego Health says it has tightened which Medicare Advantage HMO plans its physician groups will accept. The system also notes that SCAN’s “Select” option limits primary care to UC San Diego Health-affiliated groups such as Perlman Clinic and One Medical, with those network changes listed as taking effect March 1, 2026. According to UC San Diego Health, patients who received notices about primary-care reassignments should call their plan or UCSD’s Medicare helpline to review options and preserve access to specialists or hospital services.
How many people are affected
As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the SCAN changes will affect about 4,000 SCAN members whose primary care is with UCSD physicians. The paper also notes that roughly 331,208 San Diego County residents were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, underscoring how many people could be touched by shifting networks if similar moves continue.
Patients quoted in the story described the prospect of switching doctors as more than a minor paperwork hassle. They worried about losing long-standing relationships and the trust that builds up over years of visits. Patricia Monroe told the paper, “I really like my primary doctor right now, the one that I have at UCSD, and I certainly don’t want to change,” while her husband Myron added, with a shrug to the uncertainty, “We’ll see how it goes.”
Why providers are pulling back
Hospitals and medical groups across the country have been trimming or ending participation in some Medicare Advantage plans, blaming low reimbursements and time-consuming prior-authorization requirements that they say make delivering care financially and operationally unsustainable. A review by Becker’s Hospital Review documented dozens of systems that have pulled out of at least one Advantage plan since 2024. In San Diego, Scripps previously removed groups from certain Advantage contracts and tens of thousands of patients were affected, a reminder that the current UCSD situation is part of a much larger pattern.
What patients can do
For patients caught in the middle, the options are not great but they are real. People can switch to a Medicare Advantage plan that preserves UCSD access, convert to Original Medicare with a Medigap supplemental policy, or pick a new in-network primary-care doctor and stay put on their current plan.
An analysis cited by the Union-Tribune from the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) found one SCAN Select option carries about a $75 monthly premium, a meaningful hit for people on fixed incomes. UC San Diego Health and patient advocates are urging beneficiaries to call counselors or their plan before making changes so that access to specialists, ongoing treatments and prescriptions is not accidentally disrupted in the shuffle.
Where to get help
Free, unbiased counseling is available through San Diego’s HICAP program, with local services provided by Elder Law & Advocacy’s HICAP project. Counselors can help people compare plans, check continuity-of-care rules and complete enrollment forms, which is especially useful for those staring down a stack of dense plan documents…