Humana and UnitedHealthcare are ending Medicare Advantage plans that together cover about 990,000 people, and those plans stop on December 31, 2026. Humana's chief financial officer, Celeste Mellet, said the company's 2027 plan exits will affect about 600,000 members, Newsweek and NBC 5 Chicago reported. A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told Bloomberg on October 1 that about 390,000 people are in its plans that are shutting down.
Bloomberg puts the total higher. It reported on October 1 that "at least one million US seniors will be forced to switch health plans next year." Neither Humana nor UnitedHealthcare is leaving Medicare. Humana says it will sell Medicare Advantage in 2,600 counties in 2027, and UnitedHealthcare says it will sell in 2,791, according to Forbes. For the people affected, a specific plan is ending in their county.
How to tell if your plan is ending
Members of a plan that is ending get a letter called a plan non-renewal notice by October 2, according to Medicare's guide to consumer mailings. Humana's notices generally arrive in October, Newsweek reported.
The non-renewal notice is not the Annual Notice of Change, which plans that continue into 2027 send by September 30 to explain next year's costs.
If you are not sure which letter you got, call the member services number on your plan card. Your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage does not end when your Medicare Advantage plan ends.
Other companies ending plans for 2027
News outlets have named these companies and these counts:
| Company | What it is ending for 2027 | People affected | Who said so |
|---|
| Humana | Some Medicare Advantage plans | About 600,000 | Chief financial officer, reported by Newsweek, Sept. 9 |
| UnitedHealthcare | Some Medicare Advantage plans | About 390,000 | Company spokesperson to Bloomberg, Oct. 1 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota | All but one of its current plans | About 250,000 letters | CEO Dana Erickson to the Star Tribune, Oct. 1 |
| Health Care Service Corp., which runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Texas, Oklahoma and Montana | Every Blue-branded Medicare Advantage plan in those three states | About 127,000 | The company, reported by Forbes, Oct. 1 |
The counts come from different companies and different reports, so they are not added together.
In Minnesota, more than 320,000 people must shop for new coverage this fall, the Star Tribune reported. Humana is ending every Medicare Advantage plan it sells to individuals in Minnesota, affecting about 9,500 people. UnitedHealthcare is dropping some Minnesota plans and a dozen Minnesota counties, affecting 14,500 people.
Outside Minnesota, UnitedHealthcare is leaving Wyoming's Medicare Advantage market entirely in 2027, Forbes reported.
What happens if you do nothing
A member who does not pick a new plan is moved to Original Medicare on January 1, 2027, according to Medicare.gov. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma says members of its ending HMO plans who do nothing may instead be enrolled in a HealthSpring plan, which has the same parent company. Original Medicare does not include drug coverage. A member who lands there has no Medicare drug coverage until they join a separate drug plan, unless they get Extra Help. Medicare mails Extra Help members whose Medicare Advantage plan is leaving Medicare a blue letter in late October or early November. If they do not pick a plan on their own, Medicare places them in a drug plan for the coming year.
Going 63 days or more in a row without Medicare drug coverage, or other drug coverage that Medicare counts, can mean a late enrollment penalty. Medicare adds the penalty to your drug plan premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage. People who get Extra Help do not pay the penalty.
Anyone whose Medicare Advantage plan is ending also gets a right to buy certain Medigap supplement policies, but only if they switch to Original Medicare. Under that right, an insurance company must sell you the policy and cannot charge you more because of past or present health problems. Apply no later than 63 days after your Medicare Advantage coverage ends, according to Medicare's guide to Medigap. Keep your non-renewal letter and its postmarked envelope, because you may need them to prove the right.
What to do before December 7
- Find your letter. Members of an ending plan get it by October 2.
- Compare plans starting October 15. Use Medicare.gov/plan-compare or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Check that any plan you consider covers your doctors and prescriptions.
- Choose by December 7. A plan you join during Open Enrollment, which runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, starts January 1, 2027.
- If you miss December 7, you still have time. Members of an ending plan get a special enrollment period from December 8, 2026, to February 28, 2027, the last day in February. Until a new plan starts, you are on Original Medicare.
- Get free help. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program gives free one-on-one Medicare counseling. Find yours at shiphelp.org.
Check whether your plan is ending
For a step-by-step walkthrough of changing plans, read our guide on how to switch Medicare Advantage plans. If you are thinking about Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, read switching from Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare. Every enrollment date for the year is in our guide to Medicare Open Enrollment dates.
Sources
- Bloomberg, "Health Insurers Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans to Boost Profit," Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-01/health-insurers-ditch-medicare-advantage-plans-to-boost-profit
- Newsweek, "Hundreds of Thousands of Medicare Advantage Members Dropped From Humana," Sept. 9, 2026: https://www.newsweek.com/hundreds-of-thousands-of-medicare-advantage-members-dropped-from-humana-12422609
- NBC 5 Chicago, "Humana is dropping hundreds of thousands of Medicare Advantage plans. Is one of them yours?" Sept. 10, 2026: https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/humana-is-dropping-hundreds-of-thousands-of-medicare-advantage-plans-is-one-of-them-yours/3987198/
- Minnesota Star Tribune, "Blue Cross and other insurers eliminate Medicare plans for 320K Minnesotans," Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.startribune.com/blue-cross-medica-unitedhealthcare-healthpartners-medicare-advantage-rates-2027/601893967
- Forbes, "Mostly, Health Insurers Maintain Medicare Advantage Markets For 2027," Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2026/10/01/mostly-health-insurers-maintain-medicare-advantage-markets-for-2027/
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, "Blue Cross Medicare Advantage (HMO) Members Transitioning to HealthSpring Plan for 2027," Oct. 1, 2026: https://www.bcbsok.com/provider/education/education-reference/news-updates/2026/10-1-2026-blue-cross-medicare-advantage-members-transitioning
- Medicare.gov, Special Enrollment Periods: https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan/special-enrollment-periods
- Medicare.gov, Medicare Advantage Plan Reassignment Notice: https://www.medicare.gov/basics/forms-publications-mailings/mailings/help-with-costs/drug-plan-changing-medicare-advantage-plan-termination
- CMS, Medicare & You 2027 (pages 67, 75, 87 and 102): https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10050-medicare-and-you.pdf
- CMS, Choosing a Medigap Policy, March 2026 (pages 15, 17 and 19): https://www.medicare.gov/publications/02110-choosing-a-medigap-policy.pdf
- CMS, Guide to consumer mailings from CMS, Social Security, and plans: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/LimitedIncomeandResources/Downloads/Consumer-Mailings.pdf
- Federal rules: 42 CFR 422.62(b)(1), the special election period when a plan ends, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/42/422.62, and 42 CFR 422.506(a)(2), the notice to members, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/42/422.506
