The Medicare Advantage company exits are piling up.
At least 11 health insurance companies that sold individual Medicare Advantage plans this year are abandoning the program for 2027 amid cost and regulatory challenges, company and federal data reveal. That compares to seven carriers that quit Medicare Advantage in 2026.
Almost all of the insurers that are leaving individual Medicare Advantage are owned by health systems. Some continue to participate in the higher-margin Special Needs Plan, or SNP, market.
Their exits add turbulence to what is shaping up to be another volatile annual enrollment period. Medicare beneficiaries can select plans for 2027 from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.
Leading Medicare Advantage insurers such as UnitedHealth Group subsidiary UnitedHealthcare, Humana and CVS Health subsidiary Aetna will exit hundreds of counties and pull back on marketing. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also agreed, for the first time, to set hard caps on enrollment for 15 regional insurers in 11 states.
Taken together, at least 3.8 million enrollees will be forced to shop for new coverage for 2027. About 512,000 people in 14 states will need to find new carriers because their insurers are leaving their geographic areas. There will be no Medicare Advantage plans in 181 counties, up from 67 this year.
Modern Healthcare examined CMS data to identify parent companies that offer Medicare Advantage in 2026 but aren’t participating for the 2027 plan year. There are other reasons organizations may no longer be listed. For instance, companies may shift Medicare Advantage contracts to a different subsidiary for financial reasons or in an attempt to raise their star ratings.
These are the health insurance companies that quit Medicare Advantage for 2027.
Aspirus Health Plan
In January, Wisconsin suspended new enrollments in Aspirus Health Plan amid customer service, care management and claims processing issues related to its third-party administrator. Aspirus Health Plan previously contracted with UCare, which shut down at the start of the year, as its third-party administrator.
Wisconsin gave Wausau-based Aspirus Health’s insurance division until the end of July to contract with a new third-party administrator.
Aspirus Health Plan counted nearly 6,000 enrollees in Wisconsin as of September.
Braven Health
Braven Health is a Medicare Advantage joint venture between Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Health and West Orange-based RWJBarnabas Health. The health plan counts 77,900 Medicare Advantage enrollees in New Jersey, about 28,100 of whom are SNPs.
Braven Health will continue to offer some SNPs in 2027, according to CMS.
Christus Health Plan
The health insurance arm of Irving, Texas-based Christus Health System has nearly 9,000 Medicare Advantage members in New Mexico and Texas.
Elderplan
The insurance division of New York-based MJHS Health System, also known as Metropolitan Jewish Health System, counts 27,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees in the Empire State, about 20,000 of whom are in SNPs. Elderplan will continue some of its SNPs in 2027, according to CMS data.
Mass Advantage
The health plan arm of Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health counts 7,760 Medicare Advantage enrollees in Massachusetts.
Memorial Hermann Health Plan
The insurance subsidiary of Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System has 14,700 members in Texas, 180 of whom are enrolled in Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans, or D-SNPs.
The company, which declined to comment, previously announced it would exit the employer insurance market in 2027. At the time, it said it did not anticipate shuttering its Medicare Advantage operation.
Molina Healthcare
Molina Healthcare reported in February that it planned to exit the individual Medicare Advantage market to focus solely on higher-margin Dual Eligible SNPs. The company tried to sell its individual Medicare Advantage business, but failed to ink a deal.
Molina Healthcare has nearly 72,000 individual Medicare Advantage enrollees in California, Connecticut and Illinois.
Presbyterian Health Plan
The insurance arm of the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services announced in May it would exit the individual Medicare Advantage market and focus solely on D-SNPs.
The insurer has 52,800 Medicare Advantage members in New Mexico, about 13,000 of whom are in D-SNPs.
Providence Health Plan
The insurance division of Renton, Washington-based Providence Health Services said in August that it would wind down after failing to sell its Medicare business to a national carrier. Providence Health Plan also plans to exit the commercial and most Medicaid markets in 2027.
The company counts nearly 64,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees in California, Oregon and Washington.
Sharp Health Plan
The insurance subsidiary of San Diego-based Sharp Healthcare has nearly 19,900 enrollees in California.
WellSense Health Plan
The Boston Medical Center-owned insurer has 5,100 enrollees in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.