Quick answer: For 2026, UnitedHealthcare exited 225 counties and Humana exited 198 counties, terminating Medicare Advantage coverage for ~2.6 million members nationwide (CMS, Oct 2025). 98.9% of those members have at least one 2026 plan option in their county, but the specific carriers and provider networks differ. If you received a non-renewal notice, you have a Special Enrollment Period through the end of February to switch — we compare options at no cost.
Important: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent several organizations offering Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement (Medigap), and Part D plans in your state. Please contact Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
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The 2026 Medicare Advantage landscape is the largest single-year reset since the Medicare Modernization Act passed in 2003. CMS reported 35.1 million MA enrollees as of February 2026 — a 3% year-over-year growth rate, the slowest in two decades. The plan count fell 9% to 3,373 nationally. Three factors drove the carrier pullback:
| Carrier | Counties exited | Members affected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | 225 | ~600,000 | Largest withdrawal. Some HMO products kept; PPO trimmed. |
| Humana | 198 | ~550,000 | Rural TX scaled back; urban metros largely preserved. |
| Aetna / CVS | ~80 | ~180,000 | Targeted exits in non-MinuteClinic markets. |
| Wellcare (Centene) | ~50 | ~120,000 | D-SNP plans mostly preserved; standard MA-PD trimmed. |
Source: CMS 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period National Snapshot (Jan 28, 2026) + carrier press releases. Member counts are rounded estimates from CMS aggregate data.
Texas is one of the country’s most concentrated MA markets. Three of the four counties with the highest MA penetration in the U.S. — Starr (81%), Hidalgo (~75%), El Paso (~74%) — are in Texas. The 2026 exits hit rural and mid-size markets harder than urban metros. Houston (Harris County), Dallas, and San Antonio retained the bulk of their 2025 plan options. The Rio Grande Valley (Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, Webb) kept its dominant carriers but lost some PPO variants.
→ Texas Medicare Advantage county pages show current 2026 carrier shortlists per county.
A non-renewal triggers a Special Enrollment Period under CMS rule 42 CFR §422.62 — from December 8 through the end of February. During this window you can:
Important: verify your doctors and prescriptions on the new plan. Each MA plan has its own provider network and drug formulary — what worked in 2025 may not work in 2026. Run any candidate plan through medicare.gov/plan-compare with your prescription list and doctor names, or have us do it for you at no cost.
We compare your 2026 options at no cost. Pick a time — Matt will walk through the carriers still serving your county, run your prescriptions against each formulary, and confirm your doctors stay in-network.
Sources: CMS 2026 OEP National Snapshot · CMS June 18 2025 FMV memo · KFF Medicare Advantage in 2024 · CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment. Medicare Twins is a licensed insurance agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to the plans we offer. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.
CMS confirmed that 2.6 million Medicare Advantage members had their 2025 plans terminated for 2026 — the largest single-year reset since the Medicare Modernization Act. Of those, 98.9% have at least one 2026 plan option available in their county, but the specific carriers and networks may differ. Both UnitedHealthcare (225 county exits) and Humana (198 county exits) are responsible for the bulk of the changes.
The 2026 exits trace to three CMS rule changes that hit profitability: (1) the V28 risk-adjustment model phased in fully, lowering payments to insurers; (2) the 2024 Star Ratings overhaul redirected ~$18.6 billion over 10 years from lower-rated carriers; and (3) the IRA Part D restructuring shifted financial risk back onto plan sponsors. Carriers retrenched to higher-margin counties.
A non-renewal triggers a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) from December 8 through the end of February (CMS rule 42 CFR §422.62). During this SEP you can: (1) enroll in any 2026 Medicare Advantage plan still available in your county; (2) switch to Original Medicare and add a Medigap policy with guaranteed-issue protections under Texas’s replacement rules (TX 28 TAC §3.3320); (3) add a stand-alone Part D plan if you go back to Original Medicare. We can compare these no-cost.
Not automatically. Each MA plan has its own provider network and drug formulary — your existing doctors and current prescriptions may not be in-network on a replacement plan. Before you accept a default enrollment from CMS, run the new plan through medicare.gov/plan-compare with your prescription list and doctor names. We do this verification at no cost as part of any consult.
CMS publishes the official terminations file at data.cms.gov each November. We compile the Texas county-level view on our county pages — see for example our /texas/medicare-advantage/ pages, which show the top three remaining carriers per county with 4-star+ ratings and current enrollment counts.
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