Americans looking for Medicare supplemental insurance will find fewer choices as the annual enrollment period begins Thursday.

Some of the nation’s largest health insurers are eliminating their Medicare Advantage Plans, while others have dropped out of the market entirely.

Insurance Agent Jeff Schwebach (SCHWAY-bach) of Dell Rapids has been working in the supplemental insurance business for four decades.

He says cost-shifting to cover out of pocket maximums for Medicare recipients has landed on insurance companies…who can no longer afford to provide the coverage.

Schwebach says the change is hitting the market hard.

Schwebach expressed concerns that Advantage Plans and supplemental policies may become a thing of the past.

The enrollment period for the Medicare policies starts Thursday and runs through December 7th.