Delaware Is Latest State to Face Retiree Pushback on MA Transition

A newly formed retiree advocacy group called RISE Delaware has filed a lawsuit to stop the “unilateral implementation” of a private Medicare Advantage plan that will replace state retirees’ current health care coverage in Delaware. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware in February was awarded a three-year contract to serve some 30,000 retired state employees and has reportedly made accommodations to address retirees’ concerns, but the plan’s opponents maintain that it was established by the State Employee Benefits Committee (SEBC) in a clandestine manner without proper input from stakeholders and without consideration for a suitable alternative proposed by a separate committee. And, like a lawsuit in New York City, the group is concerned about the extent to which beneficiary care will be subject to prior authorization under MA.

© 2025 MMIT
Lauren Flynn Kelly

Lauren Flynn Kelly Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage

Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.

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