A handful of insurers are boasting Medicare Advantage membership gains following the annual enrollment period.
Annual enrollment ran from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, setting the stage for 2026 numbers. However, despite membership growth among some carriers, the Medicare Advantage market has been seeing payer exits, benefits cuts and payment concerns amid rising medical costs.
Some larger payers are seeing pain points with membership, despite some increases. UnitedHealthcare anticipates losing up to 1.4 million Medicare Advantage members in 2026, while Elevance Health expects MA enrollment to hover between 1.8 million and 1.9 million for full-year 2026.
Three insurers that reported increased membership for 2026:
1. Alignment Healthcare: Health plan membership reached 275,300 as of Jan. 1, attributed to a “strong annual enrollment period,” a 31% year-over-year increase, the insurer said. Guidance for year-end 2026 is between 290,000 and 296,000 members.
2. Clever Care Health Plan: During the annual enrollment period, Clever Care added 15,000 MA members, a near 50% increase.
3. SCAN Health Plan: The insurer posted 40.6% membership growth with 127,000 new members during the annual enrollment period. Total enrollment has now reached 440,000 members.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 4. Becker’s will continue to update this story as data from the annual enrollment period continues to be released.
