Jeremy Gaskill on Geisinger Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage growth

While insurers have been canceling Medicare Advantage plans and exiting markets amid higher-than-expected utilization, Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) is holding steady and expects to grow in 2027, according to Jeremy Gaskill, the plan’s president. GHP has roughly 100,000 Medicare Advantage members in HMO and PPO plans, out of just over 500,000 members across all lines of business. Gaskill joined GHP in February after more than two decades at Humana, where he most recently served as central region president for Medicare.

Gaskill described GHP’s 2027 product mix as stable, with no wide swings in either direction. The plan is not exiting any plans for 2027 and is investing in benefits. “We are absolutely committed to that marketplace, and we are absolutely committed to, you know, having a controlled growth environment,” Gaskill said.

With the annual enrollment period opening Oct. 15 and competitors’ offerings coming into view, Gaskill said GHP is well positioned within its footprint. He said he isn’t aware of any payers that have fully pulled out of GHP’s market, although some have pulled back on their investments.

The bigger change Gaskill sees in Medicare Advantage is the growing popularity of PPOs. Where HMOs once drove most of the growth, PPOs have gained ground in recent years, he said, largely because people aging into Medicare are more accustomed to PPOs from their commercial coverage than were beneficiaries 15 to 20 years ago. HMOs and PPOs are different products, he said, and plans need to think about them differently. He added that the trend isn’t unique to Geisinger.

GHP is part of Geisinger Health, a nonprofit, 10-hospital system headquartered in Danville, Pennsylvania, in the north-central part of the state. with approximately $9 billion in annual revenue and more than 130 care sites.