Football season is in full swing, the baseball playoffs are wrapping up, and the leaves are turning from green to gold. That can only mean one thing: Medicare open enrollment is here once again. The official window to begin or change your Medicare plan opened just a few days ago, on October 15th, and it remains open until December 7th.
In the coming weeks here on the Blog, we’ll be sharing a lot more information about your choices during this critical period, but first we want to alert existing Medicare Advantage customers of some big potential changes to their coverage in 2026. According to this recent article from Kiplinger, some of the biggest insurers in the U.S. – United Healthcare, Humana, and Aetna (CVS Health), among others – are scaling back their offerings for 2026.
That means hundreds of thousands of policy-holders across the country are going to need new insurance. Let’s take a look and see what reporter Donna LeValley has to share with us about this highly important development.
Financial Pressures, Rising Costs Mean Fewer MA Options
A handful of health insurance providers—including CVS Health, Humana, and UnitedHealth Group—have all made announcements that they will pull back on Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D prescription drug plans next year, LeValley tells us. They cite financial pressure as the impetus behind this change, as well as changes to government funding and rising healthcare costs.
“This has led insurance carriers to scale back their offerings in less profitable regions,” LeValley writes.
Bobby Hunter, CEO of Government Programs at UnitedHealthcare, puts it this way: “The combination of CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) funding cuts, rising healthcare costs, and increased utilization have created headwinds that no organization can ignore.”
Companies Blame Cuts on Reduced Federal Funding
Hunter goes on to explain that reduced government funding is a major reason behind insurers dropping MA plans, and it is estimated that by 2026, government reimbursement will have fallen 20 percent from its levels in 2023.
As far as the impacts on patients, Hunter says, “The exits will likely steer patients toward health maintenance organizations, or plans which require more frequent referrals and limit patients to a network of providers.”
MA Service Cuts Will Impact 600,000-Plus Policy-Holders
Reuters reports the following summary of planned reductions and key changes for 2026:
UnitedHealthcare: UHC is the nation’s largest MA provider. In 2026 it will make “strategic adjustments” and stop offering Medicare Advantage plans in 109 counties nationwide, impacting an estimated 180,000 customers.
Humana: As the second-largest provider of MA plans, Humana is also “retrenching” and will be cutting plans in hundreds of counties and a few states. Reuters reports: “Humana plans will be available in 85 percent of U.S. counties next year, down from 89 percent in 2025, and in 46 states, down from 48 in 2025. One source said Humana’s service cuts could affect approximately 500,000 enrollees.”
Aetna/CVS Health: Aetna—owned and operated by CVS Health—will cut prescription drug plans from 100 counties in 2026. “It will provide plans in 43 states and Washington, D.C., and 2,159 counties for 2026, down from 44 states and 2,259 counties in 2025,” says Reuters.
Elevance Health/Anthem: In 2026 this company will be leaving the standalone Part D prescription drug market entirely. Many plans will also see reduced over-the-counter benefits and supplemental dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
Companies Are Required to Notify You if Your Plan Changes
For details about your specific plan and how it may be affected—especially if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan through UnitedHealthcare, Humana, or Aetna—it is crucial that you consult your Annual Notice of Change letter. (We wrote about the importance of the Annual Notice of Change in this Blog article just a few weeks ago.)
“Your plan is required to send the notice to you and should have arrived by September 30,” LeValley writes. “The ANOC includes any changes in coverage, costs, and any other modifications that will take effect in January 2026. If you haven’t received a copy of your ANOC, there are a few ways to get one. You can call them directly or check their website.”
Shopping for a New Plan is Relatively Easy – and it’s a Good Idea
If you are among the MA plan participants who will need to find a new plan for 2026, there are resources available.
LeValley suggests using the Medicare.gov website, which offers a plan compare feature to help you find the right plan that fits your needs.
“You can also contact your local SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) office,” she writes. “It provides unbiased help to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers. The office can help you navigate your questions about original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medigap insurance. [Note that the program in our state is Washington’s Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors.] They provide free, unbiased, and confidential counseling to help you understand your options.”
Some of the Specific Cuts Are Only Now Being Made Public
We looked online for any information about these cuts that is specific to Washington State, home to Life Point Law and AgingOptions. As of this writing, we were unable to find out which counties here are affected. But we have learned that other insurers are also making changes and cutting services.
For example, we’ve heard from at least one Regence MA subscriber that, while that company is continuing to offer its MA plans to current clients who want to re-enroll, it’s not offering those PPO plans to new MA customers. This policy-holder also said their premium is going up by over 16 percent.
There was also a recent flurry of panic when Kaiser notified some 130,000 policy-holders that their plans were no longer going to be offered for 2026. It turned out the whole fiasco was triggered by what one article called a “business decision” to issue slightly revised 2026 plans with new identification codes.
“This back-end change requires plan members to actively reenroll, even just to end up with what appears to be similar coverage,” said the article from The Chronicle in Lewis County. It appears that few if any actual service cutbacks are being planned by Kaiser, although some terms and costs may change.
Cuts Can Take Several Forms Besides Cancellation
One online source noted that, while insurers might not necessarily be leaving Washington State entirely, the idea of a reduction in coverage can mean different things. This same pattern can also apply in other states.
For example, Insurers might continue to serve policy-holders in your state but choose to pull out of specific counties, based on economic considerations. Enrollees in those affected counties would need to shop for new coverage.
An insurer might decide to trim specific types of plans. This appears to be what Regence is doing by not offering their PPO (preferred provider) plans, even if they still offer other plans in the area. Insurers may also save money by cutting some extra benefits such as gym memberships, healthy food allowances, or transportation services.
Then there are the obvious changes: higher premiums, higher co-pays, and reduced provider networks. We expect to see all of these in the coming years.
Extra Time to Shop – and Possibly Switch to a Medigap Plan
We sought out one more source, the authoritative KFF.org, for their guidance. As their article explains, if you’re facing cancellation of a Medicare Advantage plan, you have extra time.
“If you would prefer to stay enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may shop around and enroll in a new plan during the Medicare Open Enrollment period, which runs from October 15 through December 7,” says KFF. But apart from that, you’ll also typically qualify for a Special Enrollment Period which gives you more time to enroll in a new plan.
“If you receive notice that your plan is not being renewed in the following year, you will have from the first day of the Medicare Open Enrollment period (October 15) through the last day in February of the following year to select a new plan or switch to traditional Medicare,” says the article. “You can also use the annual Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment period (January 1-March 31) to switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan or switch to traditional Medicare.”
But there’s another excellent option: a “Medicare do-over.” As KFF states, “If your current Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Medicare or stops being offered in your area, you may also have a guaranteed issue right to buy a Medicare supplement policy (Medigap) without going through medical underwriting.” This could be a good choice.
(originally reported at www.kiplinger.com)