Nearly one million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans through UnitedHealthcare and Humana are expected to be affected by plan closures as two of the country's biggest insurers scale back portions of their coverage for 2027. About 390,000 UnitedHealthcare members are enrolled in plans being discontinued, while roughly 600,000 Humana members are in plans the company is exiting. That brings the combined number affected to around 990,000.
The changes are arriving during Medicare's annual open enrollment period, which runs from October 15 through December 7, when beneficiaries can review and change their coverage for the coming year. The plans being eliminated will end on December 31. The planned cuts could require affected beneficiaries to choose another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.
That could translate to different provider networks, prescription drug coverage and, in some cases, higher out-of-pocket costs. Medicare Advantage has become an increasingly important part of the U.S. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that about 34 million people will be enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2027.
That makes up approximately 47.4 percent of the overall Medicare population. Beneficiaries whose Medicare Advantage plans are discontinued are not losing Medicare itself. If a plan is not renewed and the enrollee does not choose another Medicare Advantage plan before the existing coverage ends, Medicare rules generally provide for a return to Original Medicare.
However, beneficiaries may need to arrange separate Part D prescription drug coverage because Original Medicare does not automatically include outpatient prescription drug coverage. For people affected by the UnitedHealthcare and Humana cuts, the changing plans also mean checking whether their doctors and hospitals remain in-network and whether their medications are covered under a replacement plan. UnitedHealthcare's cuts are concentrated in Preferred Provider Organization, or PPO, plans.
PPO plans generally provide beneficiaries with greater flexibility to receive care outside a plan's network. Newsweek reached out to UnitedHealth Group and Humana for comment. "For 2027, UnitedHealthcare is making targeted adjustments to our plan offerings, designed to help support long-term sustainability while continuing to provide strong value and access to care," a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told Newsweek.
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