UnitedHealth Group unit UnitedHealthcare and Humana unveiled their 2027 Medicare Advantage plans on Oct. 1, ahead of the Oct. 15 open enrollment window.
UnitedHealthcare framed its portfolio around affordability, simplicity and a more connected care experience.
Humana said members keep $0 cost-sharing on in-network primary care visits and labs, plus dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
The insurer will offer Medicare Advantage plans in roughly 2.6K counties across 45 states and Washington, D.C., covering more than 80% of US counties.
The marketing and the federal data disagree
The sales pitch looks different against the broader market data.
CMS figures show UnitedHealthcare and Humana paring back the generosity of what's on offer as they prioritize profit growth.
A Leerink Partners review of Medicare Plan Finder found carriers broadly reduced benefits for 2027. The changes stretch across several parts of Medicare Advantage plans rather than one isolated benefit.
Carriers tightened allowances for dental care, a popular supplemental benefit, along with Part B givebacks that refund seniors all or part of their monthly outpatient premium.
"Medicare Advantage insurers are prioritizing margin - they are cutting benefits, raising member cost-sharing."
Leerink Partners analysts
The same note flagged insurers withdrawing PPOs and limiting broker commissions. Provider access is changing, too. UnitedHealthcare and Aetna, the CVS Health unit, both said their 2027 plans will carry more limited provider networks.
"We can't ignore the realities facing the healthcare system," said Bobby Hunter, president at UnitedHealthcare.
Choice is shrinking for seniors
The changes come as the number of plans available to seniors is also falling. The average Medicare beneficiary will have 28 Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan options in 2027, down from 32 in 2026, excluding employer plans, per KFF.
That still leaves beneficiaries with dozens of options on average, even as the total slips from last year. CMS emphasized stability in the Medicare Advantage marketplace in its own release.
Insurers are also balancing several competing pressures when deciding what those plans look like. Elevated costs and utilization are forcing carriers to weigh tradeoffs between geographic reach, benefit design, and supplemental coverage.
Those decisions put the focus on what insurers are offering, where they are offering it, and how much supplemental coverage remains as the 2027 enrollment period approaches.
