Goodsurance

Carriers & the market

KFF: Humana and Small Regional Plans Gained Medicare Advantage Members in 2026 as UnitedHealth's Share Fell

A KFF analysis of 2026 enrollment shows Humana added 1.3 million members in a year and smaller carriers more than doubled their share in some markets, while UnitedHealth Group lost ground.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 12, 2026

The Medicare Advantage market is undergoing a notable reshuffling in 2026, with Humana and smaller regional carriers capturing most enrollment gains while UnitedHealth Group's share declined, according to a KFF analysis published July 1, 2026.

Humana recorded the largest absolute gain, with about 1.3 million more beneficiaries enrolled by March 2026 compared with March 2025. UnitedHealth Group's share of total Medicare Advantage enrollment fell from about 29 percent to 26 percent over the same period.

KFF found Humana added 1.3 million Medicare Advantage members in a year as UnitedHealth lost share and smaller regional plans expanded.

Among smaller carriers, Devoted Health roughly doubled its market presence, adding more than 160,000 individual plan enrollees and rising from about 0.8 percent to 1.6 percent of Medicare Advantage membership. SCAN Group added approximately 136,000 members, and Aware Integrated added about 89,000. Overall, enrollment in individual plans sponsored by smaller insurers grew by more than 300,000 between February 2025 and February 2026, with increases at more than half of all small insurers.

Total Medicare Advantage enrollment grew by roughly 1 million people in 2026, driven largely by Special Needs Plans serving people with chronic conditions or limited incomes, KFF found.

The shifts reflect broader changes in plan availability: several large carriers exited hundreds of counties before the 2026 plan year, opening space for regional and startup plans to compete.

In plain words

A health research group called KFF tracked who joined Medicare Advantage plans in 2026. Humana added about 1.3 million new members, one of the biggest gains. UnitedHealth Group lost market share, dropping from about 29 percent to 26 percent of all Medicare Advantage members. Smaller companies also grew. Devoted Health almost doubled its members. SCAN Group added about 136,000. Small plan companies added more than 300,000 members in individual plans overall. Total Medicare Advantage enrollment grew by about 1 million people in 2026, mostly through plans for people with chronic illness or low incomes.

Understand the basics first

Source: KFF
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