Arizona Medicare Solutions

03/30/2026

Do you have a Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage Plan AND use either a Banner Health or Honor Health P*P? You better give me a call before the month ends so I can share your options.

03/16/2026

🚨 Arizona Medicare Advantage Plan Update:

AZ Blue Cross Blue Shield announced changes coming to the Blue Best Life (HMO) Medicare Advantage network starting July 1, 2026.

Primary Care Physicians (P*Ps) employed by Banner Health and HonorHealth will no longer participate in the Blue Best Life HMO network in Maricopa, Pinal, and some Pima County areas.

✅ Specialists, hospitals, and facilities remain in-network.

Members can either:
• Choose a new in-network value-based P*P
• Or switch to another Medicare Advantage plan if they want to keep their current doctor. Please note: Open Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Plans ends March 31, 2026.

📩 Impacted members will receive notices by May 1.

If you have questions about how this may affect your Medicare coverage, feel free to reach out!

03/07/2026

Arizona Medicare Solutions / State 48 Health Solutions, Founder and President Steven Whetstine was at the Western Annual Leadership Summit with approximately 100 Partners across the Nation. Honored to be a part of this Summit and humbled to be networking with incredible leaders across the country. Paul Rose and his team set the bar high providing incredible content, bringing in highly esteemed guests, and inspiring each of us to really take things to another level in a highly volatile environment and encouraging us to collaborate and implement new ideas as we pivot to adjust to many changes now and in the future within the industry. Proud to share that Arizona Medicare Solutions / State 48 Health Solutions is constantly in discussions with Partners all across the nation to provide solutions for clients’ needs. Do you know someone who needs assistance with their life and health needs? Please share, and I will be happy to help!

01/20/2026

As of January 2026, Founder and President Steven A. Whetstine and Arizona Medicare Solutions are Licensed, Certified and Appointed in the following states in red below - and continue to expand the footprint of our service area. In addition, we have been adding more insurance carriers every week for the past 7 months to address the needs of our clients in an ever-changing life and health insurance environment. We are here to serve you and your families for your various health, life and retirement needs. Reach out today for a free quote and review!

01/02/2026

Please note this is for Medicare Advantage plans only and a list of notable health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans. This is not an inclusive list. There is a large shift for insurance carriers to move away from PPO plans and focus on HMO plans. If you are just finding out about these changes and it is not going to work for you, we are now in open enrollment period that runs between January 1st and March 31st. Let me review your needs and see what makes sense for you in 2026.

The hospitals are ending their acceptance of MA plans over issues with prior authorization denials.

11/18/2025

November is Diabetes Awareness Month in the United States. It is a national health observance dedicated to raising awareness about the risks, symptoms, and management of diabetes, a chronic disease that affects millions of Americans.

11/15/2025

Latest news on HonorHealth’s acquisition of Evernorth in the Valley of the Sun:

https://www.abc15.com/news/business/cigna-division-to-lay-off-phoenix-metro-employees-in-anticipation-of-acquisition #:~:text=A%20subsidiary%20of%20Cigna%20Corp,of%20Arizona%20on%20Nov.%2011.

A subsidiary of Cigna Corp. that is in the process of being acquired by Scottsdale-based HonorHealth is laying off 143 employees in metro Phoenix.

11/15/2025

Within the past 24 hours, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has released the new Part A and Part B Deductibles and Premiums. For most Medicare beneficiaries, it would be a focus on what Part B (Medical) Premium would be for 2026, and how much the Part B (Medical) deductible would change if you had a Medicare Supplement Plan in 2026.

The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $202.90 for 2026, an increase of $17.90 from $185 in 2025. The annual deductible for
all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $283 in 2026, an increase of $26 from the annual deductible of $257 in 2025.

This is better than what was projected. Co-Pilot has not been updated on some search engines and reflects what was forecasted which was $206.50 per month for the Part B Premium and $288 for the Part B deductible. Gemini on some of the search engines does have the correct amount as released by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

Below is the link for the official news release by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services):

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles

10/28/2025

Honored to be highlighted on LinkedIn for Medicare Agents Hub. Did you see that right? Yes, you did! An independent licensed agent in over 30 states and growing each year! Need assistance with Medicare? Reach out today!

Thrilled to spotlight Steven Whetstine, MHP, HIA, LTCP, DIF, HCSA, trusted Medicare agent in Peoria, AZ. Helping seniors make confident choices. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e3M_Z_GG

10/27/2025

BREAKING! 75 million Americans will get a 2.8 percent increase in monthly Social Security benefits and SSI payments in 2026. Check our blog for more information: blog.ssa.gov/social-security-announces-benefit-increase-for-2026.

10/16/2025

Annual Enrollment Period is here for Medicare. Any changes to your Medicare Advantage Plans or Prescription Drug Plans will begin on January 1, 2026.

For Individual and Family Plans, that enrollment period will begin November 1st.

10/14/2025

Humana expected to lose billions of dollars after second judicial ruling today supporting the CMS (Center of Medicare and Medicaid) Star ⭐️ Ratjngs on Medicare Advantage Plans.

(Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected Humana's bid to challenge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' 2025 ratings for its Medicare Advantage plans, which could cost the health insurance company millions of dollars in bonus payments from the government. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Conno...