Legacy Health is leaving Humana's Medicare Advantage network

Legacy says it takes Humana Medicare Advantage plans only through December 31, 2026. If you have a Humana plan and see Legacy doctors, here is what changes, what doesn't, and what to do before December 7.

By Timothy Jones, licensed independent Medicare agent · October 23, 2026 · 7 min read

Last checked: October 23, 2026. I read Legacy Health's insurance page that day. Humana had not posted a public notice yet. I update this page when either one changes.

The short answer

Legacy Health's list of the insurance it accepts now says Humana Medicare Advantage plans only through December 31, 2026, in both Washington and Oregon. From January 1, 2027, plan on Legacy's hospitals and clinics, including Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, being out of network for Humana Medicare Advantage members. Your Humana plan doesn't end because of this, and emergencies are still covered at any hospital. If keeping your Legacy doctors matters to you, Annual Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, is the time to act.

Don't wait for a letter. Humana has to tell affected members, but Medicare's rules let that letter arrive in mid-to-late November, and some Legacy patients won't get one at all. Here is who this reaches, and the choices you have.

Who this affects

You are affected if both of these are true:

You have a Humana Medicare Advantage plan in Washington or Oregon. Legacy's list names Humana's HMO, PPO, PFFS and POS plans.
You see a doctor, specialist or hospital that is part of Legacy Health.

If your Humana plan is one for people with both Medicare and Medicaid (Apple Health in Washington, the Oregon Health Plan in Oregon), it is a Medicare Advantage plan too. Legacy's list doesn't name those plans separately, so plan as if yours is included, and ask Humana to confirm.

This does not change things for you if:

You have a Humana Medicare Supplement. A standard Supplement has no network. Any doctor or hospital that takes Original Medicare takes it, and Legacy's page says it accepts Original Medicare. If your card says Medicare SELECT, call Humana: that kind does use a hospital network.
You have Original Medicare with a Humana drug plan. Your choice of doctors and hospitals comes from Original Medicare, not from the drug plan.
Your Medicare Advantage plan is with another insurer. Each insurer has its own contract with Legacy, so this says nothing about any other plan.

Which Legacy locations

Legacy's page doesn't leave out any location, so plan as if this covers all of them. Legacy's hospitals are:

Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, Vancouver
Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and Randall Children's Hospital, Portland
Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center, Portland
Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, Gresham
Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center, Tualatin
Legacy Silverton Medical Center, Silverton

Legacy also runs Legacy Medical Group clinics across the Portland and Vancouver area.

One catch: not everyone who sees patients in a Legacy building works for Legacy. Some doctors belong to independent groups that sign their own contracts with insurers, and some of them may stay in Humana's network. That is why the check has to be done one doctor at a time, by name, not by building.

Emergencies are still covered

Medicare requires every Medicare Advantage plan to cover emergency care at any hospital, whether it is in the plan's network or not. If you have an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, Legacy's included. Don't stop to check your plan first.

Don't wait for the letter

Humana has to send affected members a letter. Medicare's rules set the deadlines, and they fall close to the change itself:

When a primary care doctor or mental health provider leaves, the plan must send a letter and try one phone call at least 45 days before. For a December 31 change, that is mid-November.
For specialists and hospitals, the letter must go out at least 30 days before, which is around December 1.

Not everyone gets one. A letter about a specialist or a hospital goes to people who are assigned to that provider, are being treated there now, or were seen there in the past three months. If you saw a Legacy specialist last spring, you may never get a letter about them.

Annual Enrollment ends December 7. A letter that arrives in late November leaves very little time to compare, so if you use Legacy, start now.

What you can do

Start by writing down every doctor, specialist, hospital and clinic you use, with the Legacy location next to each one. Then there are three paths. None of them is right for everyone.

1. Keep your Humana plan and choose doctors in its network

If you like your plan otherwise, this can be the simplest path. Call the number on your Humana member card and ask which doctors near you are in its 2027 network. Before you pick a new primary care doctor, call the office and ask whether they are taking new patients with your plan.

2. Look at other plans for 2027

During Annual Enrollment you can change to a plan whose 2027 network includes your Legacy doctors, and the new plan starts January 1. Legacy publishes the list of insurance it accepts. Look each of your doctors up in the 2027 provider directory of any plan you are considering, then call the doctor's office to confirm. A plan that takes one Legacy doctor doesn't automatically take all of them.

Compare the whole plan, not just the doctors. Your prescriptions, your pharmacy and your costs all change with the plan too. How to check a doctor properly.

3. If you are in the middle of treatment

Call the number on your Humana card, ask what happens to your care after December 31, and get the answer in writing. Humana decides whether anyone can keep seeing a provider who is leaving, and for how long. Nobody, including me, can promise that for you.

Two things not to do

Don't cancel your Humana plan on your own. When you enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare ends the old one for you on December 31.
Don't switch in a hurry. Check your other doctors and your prescriptions first. Fixing one problem can create another.

If your Humana plan comes through a former employer or union, talk to that benefits office before changing anything. Leaving a retiree plan can mean you can't get it back.

Can I switch plans after December 7?

Not automatically. A hospital leaving your plan's network does not by itself open a mid-year enrollment window. Medicare can open a Special Enrollment Period when it decides a network change is significant, and if it does, your plan has to send affected members a notice with the dates. As of October 23, 2026, nothing I have read from Legacy or Humana mentions one.

Two other routes exist. If losing Legacy would interrupt treatment you need, you can ask 1-800-MEDICARE about an exception. And if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can make one change between January 1 and March 31; the new plan starts the first day of the next month. Neither is a reason to wait. December 7 is the date that gets you a new plan on January 1.

This is different from Humana plans that are ending

Humana is also ending some of its plans for 2027. That is a separate change. When a plan ends, its members get a letter saying so, and a special window from December 8 through the end of February to choose new coverage. When a hospital leaves the network but your plan continues, that window doesn't apply. Your Annual Notice of Change, mailed in September, says whether your own plan continues in 2027. How to read it.

Bring your list of doctors

We can look up each one in the 2027 provider directories, one doctor at a time, and check your prescriptions while we are at it. No charge, and no obligation to change anything.

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Questions people ask

Is Legacy Health in network with Humana Medicare Advantage in 2027?

No, according to Legacy. Its insurance page says it takes Humana Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, PFFS and POS plans only through December 31, 2026, in both Washington and Oregon. Coverage through the end of 2026 doesn't change. Some doctors who see patients at Legacy locations belong to independent groups with their own contracts, so check each of your doctors by name.

Is Legacy Salmon Creek in network with Humana?

Through December 31, 2026. Legacy's page doesn't leave out any location, so plan as if Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver is out of network for Humana Medicare Advantage members from January 1, 2027, and confirm with Humana. Emergencies are covered there either way.

Can I still use a Legacy emergency room with a Humana plan?

Yes. Medicare requires every Medicare Advantage plan to cover emergency care at any hospital, whether it is in the plan's network or not. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Does this affect Humana plans for people with Medicare and Medicaid?

Plan as if it does. Those plans are Medicare Advantage plans, and Legacy's list doesn't name them separately. If you have Apple Health or the Oregon Health Plan along with a Humana plan, call the number on your Humana card to confirm.

Does this affect my Humana Medicare Supplement?

Not if it's a standard Medicare Supplement. Those have no network, and Legacy says it accepts Original Medicare. If your card says Medicare SELECT, call Humana, because that kind uses a hospital network.

Will Humana send me a letter?

Humana has to write to the members Medicare's rules say are affected, but the timing is late and not everyone qualifies. The letter must go out at least 45 days before a primary care or mental health provider leaves, and 30 days before a specialist or hospital leaves. For a December 31 change, that is mid-November to about December 1. Letters about specialists and hospitals go only to people seen there in the past three months, so some Legacy patients won't get one at all.

Can I change plans because Legacy is leaving?

Yes, during Annual Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, for coverage starting January 1. After that, a hospital leaving your plan's network does not by itself open a window. Medicare can open a Special Enrollment Period if it decides the change is significant, and your plan would then send a notice with the dates. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, you can also make one change between January 1 and March 31.

Is this the same as the Humana plans that are ending?

No. Some Humana plans are ending for 2027. That is a separate change with its own special window, December 8 through the end of February. Legacy leaving the network doesn't end your plan, and that window doesn't apply to it. Your Annual Notice of Change says whether your plan continues in 2027.

Could Legacy and Humana still reach an agreement?

Contracts can change until the date arrives. As of October 23, 2026, Legacy's page says December 31, 2026. If that changes, I will update this page. Make your 2027 decision on what is true now, and check again before December 7.

Checked October 23, 2026 against Legacy Health's insurance page and Medicare's rules for provider-change notices and emergency care (42 CFR 422.111(e) and 422.113). American Senior Choices is not affiliated with Legacy Health. Network contracts change, and a page is only as current as its last check.

Disclaimer: American Senior Choices is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 4 organizations which offer 29 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.