WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (TodayViralUSA) — About 3.16 million Medicare Advantage members will need new coverage for 2027 because their plans are being discontinued or are pulling out of their area, leaving many seniors with a tight window to choose a replacement during the open enrollment period that runs through Dec. 7.
The figure comes from an Oct. 8 analysis of federal plan data by the industry newsletter Medicare Market Insights. It amounts to roughly 10.6% of individual Medicare Advantage enrollment, up from about 2.87 million people affected last year and about 2 million the year before, Forbes Advisor reported.
Who is affected
About three-quarters of those affected are in plans that are ending outright, while the rest are in plans shrinking their service areas. Seven parent organizations are exiting the individual Medicare Advantage market, and local preferred provider organization (PPO) plans account for the largest share of disruption, with about 1.85 million PPO members, or 19% of that segment, facing a change. Minnesota is among the hardest-hit states.
Insurers are required to mail non-renewal notices to members of plans that are ending, and those letters went out in early October. Coverage under a discontinued plan ends Dec. 31.
What seniors can do
Medicare’s open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and changes made during that time take effect Jan. 1. People losing a plan can choose another Medicare Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare and add a stand-alone prescription drug plan, with or without a Medigap supplemental policy.
Those whose plan is ending also gain a guaranteed right to buy certain Medigap policies without answering health questions for a limited time around the plan’s end date. Anyone who misses the Dec. 7 deadline has a special enrollment period through the end of February, though they would spend January in Original Medicare.
Counselors recommend checking that preferred doctors and prescriptions are covered by a new plan before comparing premiums. Plans can be compared on Medicare.gov, and free one-on-one help is available through each state’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
Sources & Credits
- Forbes Advisor: 3.16 Million Medicare Advantage Enrollees Will Lose Coverage Soon
- PSM Brokerage: 3.16 Million Medicare Advantage Members Face Plan Disruption in 2027
- Medicare.gov: Open Enrollment
- PBS News Hour: October 23, 2026 full episode
Image: Sample U.S. Medicare card, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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