History: Metropolitan Health Plan was started by Hennepin County in 1983 to finance health care primarily for poor and disabled people. It added Medicare Advantage programs in 2006 and a Medicare Advantage North Star fee-for-service plan in 2007.
Place in the market: The county-owned nonprofit is tiny, the sixth-largest of eight Minnesota HMOs. It serves about 20,000 clients, about 2 percent of the 890,000 Minnesotans in those plans.
What's closing: Metropolitan Health Plan's Medicare Advantage North Star private fee-for-service plan. Its 3,700 enrollees are mainly in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas. Its other plans are not affected.
What will happen: Unless they choose another plan before Jan. 1, clients will be transferred to original Medicare. Then during a special open enrollment period, they may choose from any Medicare plan available in Minnesota until March 31.
For help: Call your health insurance agent; the Minnesota Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433 weekdays 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY/TDD 1-877-486-2048 ) 24 hours a day.
