Goodsurance

Enrollment & timing

KFF: 4.3 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Will Lose Their Plan at Year-End 2026, Including 1.2 Million on Standalone Drug Plans

A new KFF analysis finds that year-end plan terminations extend well beyond Medicare Advantage, catching 1.2 million people with standalone Part D drug plans who must also find new coverage before December 7.

By the Goodsurance editorial teamOctober 28, 2026

A KFF analysis published October 27, 2026 counted 4.3 million Medicare beneficiaries whose Medicare Advantage or standalone prescription drug plan will be terminated at the end of 2026.

The total covers two distinct groups. About 3.1 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage drug plans (MA-PD) that insurers are exiting, including 2.8 million in general enrollment plans and roughly 300,000 in special needs plans. A separate 1.2 million people hold standalone Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) that are also being discontinued. KFF noted that the PDP terminations have received less public attention than the MA wave, even though those enrollees face the same December 7 enrollment deadline.

4.3 million Medicare beneficiaries will lose their plan at year-end. KFF finds the total includes 1.2 million people on standalone Part D drug plans, not just Medicare Advantage.

Beyond outright terminations, another 1.4 million Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans that are consolidating into a related plan offered by the same insurer. Those members may not receive a termination notice but still need to confirm their doctors and prescriptions remain covered under the surviving plan.

MA-PD enrollees who do not choose a replacement plan will be moved to original Medicare without drug coverage starting January 1. People in that situation also gain guaranteed-issue rights to purchase a Medigap supplemental policy regardless of pre-existing conditions, but those rights have a limited window. Standalone PDP enrollees who take no action will lose their drug coverage while remaining in original Medicare.

KFF also noted an ongoing contraction in the standalone Part D market, with fewer PDPs available in 2027 than in recent prior years, which may narrow options for affected enrollees and others in traditional Medicare. Medicare's Plan Finder at medicare.gov allows enrollees to compare 2027 plans by location, cost, and drug coverage.

In plain words

About 4.3 million people with Medicare are losing their plan at the end of this year. That includes 3.1 million people in Medicare Advantage drug plans and 1.2 million people in standalone drug plans called Part D plans. Both groups need to pick a new plan before December 7. If they do not pick one, they will lose their drug coverage. People who lose a Medicare Advantage plan also get a special right to buy a Medigap plan, no matter their health condition. But that right does not last forever. Another 1.4 million people have a plan that is merging with a related plan from the same company. They should check that their doctor and their drugs are still covered. You can compare plans at medicare.gov.

Understand the basics first

Source: KFF
Read at the source →

More news

Other stories on what is moving in Medicare.

Enrollment & timing

Plans Are Ending for 2027. Here Is What Medicare Advantage Members Need to Know Before December 7.

Beneficiaries whose plans will not return in 2027 have more time than the standard open enrollment deadline to find new coverage, but the window to ensure January 1 coverage closes at year-end.

October 24, 2026

Enrollment & timing

65 Medicare Advantage Plans for 2027 Have Hard Membership Caps That Could Close Before December 7

For the first time, CMS is letting Medicare Advantage plans set legally binding enrollment limits. Once a capped plan fills up mid-open enrollment, it closes to new applicants, and Medicare Plan Finder currently shows no warning.

October 22, 2026

Enrollment & timing

Medigap Access Barriers May Leave Many Medicare Advantage Enrollees With Fewer Real Choices During Open Enrollment

As the Medicare open enrollment period opened October 15, the Medicare Rights Center warned that most Medicare Advantage enrollees face health-based barriers to buying Medigap coverage, which could make switching to Traditional Medicare financially impractical even for those who want out.

October 16, 2026

Enrollment & timing

KFF: 120,000 People Waiting for Medicare Disability Coverage Used Medicaid as a Bridge. Work Requirements Starting January 2027 Could End That.

A new KFF analysis finds that more than 120,000 people who transition to Medicare through disability benefits each year had relied on Medicaid expansion while waiting out Medicare's two-year waiting period. A 2025 federal law applies work requirements to Medicaid expansion starting January 2027.

October 16, 2026

Enrollment & timing

Medicare Open Enrollment Opens as More Than 3 Million Advantage Members Face Mandatory Plan Changes

The 2027 Annual Enrollment Period began October 15, the third consecutive year in which millions of Medicare Advantage enrollees must find new coverage because their existing plans are not continuing.

October 15, 2026

Enrollment & timing

Federal Medigap Enrollment Window Is Six Months. After That, State Rules Vary Widely, KFF Finds.

A KFF issue brief published the day before open enrollment opens maps when Medicare beneficiaries have a legal right to buy Medigap without medical underwriting, and where that right runs out.

October 14, 2026