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About 180,00 Seniors Across 16 States Will Soon Lose Their Medicare Advantage Plan

UnitedHealth will exit 109 counties in 2026, and says more cuts to come.

Katie Powers
Written byKatie Powers
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Katie PowersSenior Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

  • NPN: 20564519

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

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Chris Schafer
Edited byChris Schafer
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

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MacKenzie Korris
Reviewed byMacKenzie Korris
MacKenzie Korris
MacKenzie KorrisInsurance Copy Editor

MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri. He has years of experience in print and digital media, and strives to craft actionable, inclusive copy that fosters smart decision-making through reader autonomy. He has a journalism degree from Saint Louis University.

Published | Reading time: 2 minutes

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UnitedHealth Group is reducing its Medicare Advantage plans in 2026, withdrawing from 109 counties across 16 U.S. states. This change will affect 180,000 policyholders who previously held UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage coverage. The changes go into effect in January 2026.

UnitedHealth sent non-renewal notices to affected policyholders on Oct. 2, informing them of the changes and of any options still available to them through UnitedHealth. The specific plans cut vary by state and county, but they primarily affect people with Medicare Advantage preferred provider organization (PPO) plans.

The available options from UnitedHealth for policyholders who’ve had coverage cut include health maintenance organization (HMO) plans, according to Reuters. 

Most of the cut plans are in rural areas.

Bobby Hunter, CEO of government programs for UnitedHealth Group, told Reuters: “We need a model that is sustainable and allows us to bring care to folks in those areas in a cost-effective way.”

Medicare Advantage plans are a private alternative to Original Medicare that the government pays private insurers to provide. These plans are available exclusively to people already eligible for and enrolled in Medicare coverage, including seniors aged 65 and older, and people with disabilities.

UnitedHealth announced that the insurance company will eventually drop more than 100 Medicare Advantage plans, covering more than 600,000 people, during its second-quarter earnings call in July.

Why is UnitedHealthcare cutting Medicare Advantage plans?

The 180,000 people losing coverage in January are only the first group of policyholders who will be affected. UnitedHealth says rising costs and more people using its coverage make the cuts necessary.

Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, said the company underestimated how much Medicare Advantage plans would cost the insurer and that United failed to adjust benefits and plan offerings to offset such costs.

The insurer estimates that by the end of 2025, UnitedHealth will have seen $6.5 billion more in medical costs than expected for the year. More than half of these costs specifically stem from the company’s Medicare coverage offerings — which include Medicare Advantage plans, among other options.

The cuts also come as UnitedHealth and other health insurers are facing added financial pressure due to a reduction in federal government funding.

“Our pricing strategy is intensely focused on margin recovery and moving back toward our earnings growth targets,” Noel said of the company’s goals for 2026.

UnitedHealth isn’t the only major health insurance company cutting Medicare Advantage plans in 2026.

Aetna, owned by CVS Health, announced that it will reduce its prescription drug plans in 100 counties. Anthem has completely cut its stand-alone prescription drug plan, and Humana is decreasing its Medicare Advantage plan availability from 89% to 84% of U.S. counties.

Katie Powers
Katie PowersSenior Editor

Katie Powers is a Senior Editor at Insurify with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in New York and expertise in personal finance and auto insurance topics. She strives to help consumers make better financial decisions. Prior to joining Insurify, she completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Emerson College. Her work has been published in St. Louis Magazine, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.

Chris Schafer
Edited byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris Schafer
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
  • 15+ years in content creation

  • 7+ years in business and financial services content

Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.

Featured in

media logomedia logomedia logomedia logo
MacKenzie Korris
Reviewed byMacKenzie KorrisInsurance Copy Editor
MacKenzie Korris
MacKenzie KorrisInsurance Copy Editor

MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri. He has years of experience in print and digital media, and strives to craft actionable, inclusive copy that fosters smart decision-making through reader autonomy. He has a journalism degree from Saint Louis University.