Medicare Advantage continued to grow in 2026, but at a slower pace than prior years, as enrollment shifts among major insurers and a surge in special needs plans reshaped the program’s makeup, according to a KFF analysis published June 5.
10 key numbers:
1. Among all eligible Medicare beneficiaries, 55% are now enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, up from 19% in 2007.
2. Total MA enrollment grew by roughly 1.1 million beneficiaries between 2025 and 2026, a 3% increase, continuing a deceleration from last year’s 4% growth rate.
3. The CBO projects that MA’s share of all Medicare beneficiaries will reach 63% by 2034 and hold at that level through at least 2036.
4. Nearly one quarter of all MA enrollees (23%) are now in special needs plans, and SNPs accounted for 85% of the net enrollment increase between 2025 and 2026, up from 48% the year before.
5. Chronic condition special needs plan, or C-SNP, enrollment rose 45% between 2025 and 2026 and now represents 20% of all SNP enrollment.
6. Of all SNP enrollment, 78% is in dual-eligible special needs plans, or D-SNPs, which serve beneficiaries covered by both Medicare and Medicaid.
7. MA payments run 14% higher per person than spending for comparable beneficiaries in traditional Medicare, generating $76 billion in additional federal spending in 2026.
8. UnitedHealth Group and Humana combined hold 46% of total MA enrollment, with UnitedHealth’s share falling to 26% from 29% and Humana’s rising to 20% from 17%.
9. Humana posted the largest absolute enrollment gain of any insurer, adding 1.3 million MA members between 2025 and 2026. Kaiser Permanente grew by more than 86,000 members, and all other insurers combined grew by more than 703,000.
10. UnitedHealth shed nearly 647,000 MA enrollees between 2025 and 2026. Elevance Health shed more than 346,000 members and Aetna decreased by nearly 29,000.
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