Hospital Sisters Health System is partnering with Chapter, a national Medicare advising agency, to offer free consultations for Medicare patients enrolling in plans for 2026.
Sangamon County residents, according to Medicare.gov, will see 11 fewer private Medicare plan options than they did this time last year.
| Insurance carrier, Medicare for Sangamon County | Number of Medicare plans, 2025 | Number of Medicare plans, 2026 |
| Aetna Medicare | 4 | 3 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois | 6 | 2 |
| Cigna Healthcare | 2 | 0 |
| Devoted Health | 2 | 2 |
| HealthSpring | 0 | 1 |
| Health Alliance Medicare | 5 | 0 |
| Humana | 9 | 11 |
| UnitedHealthcare | 4 | 3 |
| Wellcare | 5 | 4 |
| Total | 37 | 26 |
Medicare, a form of government funded health insurance, is available to seniors and people of any age who have received Social Security Disability benefits for two years or have certain terminal illnesses. It is offered in two forms for people to choose from, traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage – which is offered by private companies that have specific doctors and drugs in network. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported more than 26,000 people in Sangamon County were on private Medicare plans last month.
Enrollees can also sign up for Medigap coverage, which are plans designed to supplement existing plans by covering upfront patient costs like copays and deductibles. Chapter advisers can provide information about these plans, according to the HSHS press release announcing the partnership with the advising agency.
Annual enrollment for Medicare begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7, HSHS patients interested in personalized guidance for selecting a plan can book an appointment online to discuss plan options at askchapter.org/hshs or by calling 855-636-0583.
