If you’ve heard that Independent Health is losing major providers, being acquired, or “going away,” you’re not alone. But the full picture is more complicated than the headlines suggest.
Here’s what’s actually happening: a series of significant changes — a corporate combination with MVP Health Care, a major cancer center leaving one Medicare Advantage network, and a pharmacy network change — that together can look like collapse. They are not.
This article breaks down each change clearly, who it affects, and what you should actually do about it.
Independent Health Is Not Closing — Here’s What’s Actually Happening
Independent Health is a regional, not-for-profit health insurer based in Buffalo, NY. It serves roughly 350,000 members across commercial, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and other products.
There is no bankruptcy filing. There is no regulatory seizure. There is no announced shutdown.
What there is: a combination deal with MVP Health Care, a provider network exit affecting certain Medicare Advantage members, and a pharmacy change affecting about 21,000 members. Each of these is meaningful — but none of them is the same as an insurer going out of business.
This distinction matters. When a provider leaves a network or a company merges with another, it affects your coverage details. When an insurer actually shuts down, your coverage ends entirely. Those are very different situations.
The MVP Health Care Deal, Explained in Plain Terms
On November 18, 2025, Independent Health announced it will join MVP Health Care’s family of companies, pending regulatory approval.
This is a corporate combination between two regional, not-for-profit health plans — not a liquidation, bankruptcy, or hostile takeover.
Your coverage does not automatically end. Members stay enrolled in their current plans while regulators review the deal. State insurance regulators will examine the transaction for solvency, competitive impact, and consumer protections before it can move forward.
After approval, there may eventually be branding changes, product alignment, or network adjustments. But these things happen gradually — not overnight.
Think of it like an airline merger. When two airlines combine, routes and branding may shift over time. But flights still operate, and passengers are not stranded mid-trip. The same logic applies here.
Why does this happen in health insurance? Scale matters. Larger organizations can invest more in technology, negotiate better rates with providers, and spread rising administrative costs across more members. Regional plans consolidate not because they’re failing, but because staying independent gets harder every year.
The MVP announcement specifically emphasizes continued commitment to the Western New York region — a signal of operational continuity, not withdrawal.
Roswell Park Is Leaving One Specific Network — Not All of Them
This is where most of the confusion comes from, so let’s be precise.
Effective January 1, 2026, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and its community practices will no longer be in-network for Independent Health’s individual Medicare Advantage plans only.
Independent Health has approximately 50,000 individual Medicare Advantage members affected by this change. That’s a significant number — but it’s a specific group, not everyone.
Roswell Park is not leaving Independent Health’s group Medicare plans, commercial plans, state-funded lines, or self-funded lines of business. If you’re in any of those, this change does not affect you.
Why did Roswell Park exit the individual Medicare Advantage network? The cancer center stated that the plan structure would have shifted more care costs to patients. Rather than accept those terms, Roswell chose to leave that specific network.
What This Means If You’re an Affected Member
If you’re on an individual Medicare Advantage plan through Independent Health and you use Roswell Park, here’s the practical reality for 2026:
- Staying on your current plan means Roswell Park becomes out-of-network, which increases your out-of-pocket costs.
- You may need to switch to a different oncology provider who remains in-network.
- If you’re mid-treatment, ask Independent Health about continuity-of-care provisions — these may allow you to finish ongoing treatment at Roswell Park even after the network change.
If keeping Roswell Park in-network is a priority, certain Highmark Medicare Advantage plans — specifically the Senior Blue HMO, Forever Blue PPO, and Freedom Blue PPO — do list Roswell Park as in-network for 2026. You can evaluate switching during Medicare’s Annual Election Period.
Note that Highmark’s 2026 Community Blue individual Medicare HMO plans do not include Roswell Park in-network, so check carefully before switching.
A Practical Example
Say you’re a 72-year-old on an Independent Health individual Medicare Advantage plan, currently receiving chemotherapy at Roswell Park. If you keep that same plan in 2026, Roswell Park becomes out-of-network. Your costs go up, or you need a different provider. Your best move is to review other Medicare Advantage options before the Annual Election Period closes and compare what Roswell Park network access looks like under each plan.
The CVS Pharmacy Change and What It Costs Members
CVS went out-of-network with Independent Health, affecting roughly 21,000 members — about 6% of its total membership.
If you’re one of those members and you continue using CVS, you’ll pay out-of-network cost sharing, which is higher than in-network rates.
The fix is straightforward: transfer your prescriptions to a pharmacy that remains in Independent Health’s network. That could be another chain, a local independent pharmacy, or a mail-order option depending on what your plan covers.
Call Independent Health’s member services or use their online pharmacy finder to confirm which pharmacies near you are still in-network. Don’t assume — verify.
This kind of pharmacy network change is common across the insurance industry. Plans and pharmacy chains regularly renegotiate contracts, and sometimes those negotiations break down. It’s disruptive, but it’s not a sign that the insurer is in trouble.
How to Tell If an Insurer Is Actually in Trouble
It helps to know what genuine insurer distress actually looks like, so you can separate real risk from normal business changes.
Signs that an insurer may actually be failing:
- State insurance regulators place the company in receivership or issue a seizure order.
- The insurer announces a full market withdrawal — meaning it’s exiting all products in a state, not just adjusting a network.
- There’s a formal liquidation filing or a Department of Insurance enforcement action about unpaid claims.
None of those apply to Independent Health right now. What’s happening instead is a strategic combination with another regional plan, specific network contract changes, and a pharmacy exit — all of which are communicated through official plan documents and press releases. That’s the normal way a functioning insurer operates, not the behavior of one that’s collapsing.
If you’re ever unsure about an insurer’s financial health, the New York State Department of Financial Services is the regulatory body that oversees health plans in New York. Their website lists enforcement actions and market withdrawal notices. That’s a more reliable signal than news headlines.
Practical Steps for Independent Health Members Right Now
Here’s what to actually do, depending on your situation:
If You’re on an Individual Medicare Advantage Plan
- Read your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) carefully. It details what’s changing in your plan for 2026.
- If you use Roswell Park, decide before the Annual Election Period ends whether to switch to a plan that keeps Roswell in-network.
- If you’re mid-treatment at Roswell Park, ask Independent Health directly about continuity-of-care options.
If You Use CVS for Prescriptions
- Transfer prescriptions to an in-network pharmacy to avoid higher out-of-pocket costs.
- Confirm with the new pharmacy that your specific medications are covered under your current plan.
If You’re on a Group or Commercial Plan
- The Roswell Park change does not affect you. Roswell Park remains in-network for group Medicare, commercial, state, and self-funded plans.
- Monitor official communications from Independent Health about any post-merger changes once the MVP deal clears regulatory review.
For more guidance on navigating business and insurance decisions, StartBusinessPros covers practical topics for professionals and business owners.
Bottom Line
Independent Health is not going out of business. It is going through significant changes — a corporate combination with MVP Health Care, a network exit at Roswell Park for individual Medicare Advantage members, and a CVS pharmacy change.
Each of these affects specific groups of members in specific ways. They are worth understanding and acting on. But they are not signs of insolvency or collapse.
The most useful thing you can do is read your plan documents, verify your provider and pharmacy network status for the upcoming year, and make enrollment decisions based on facts — not on rumors or misread headlines.
Coverage changes are stressful, especially when they involve something as serious as cancer care. But a clear-eyed look at what’s actually happening puts you in a much better position to protect yourself and make the right move.
Read Also:
