UnitedHealthcare is ending Medicare Advantage plans for about 390,000 members at the end of 2026, the company says. Letters dated October 2, 2026 went to the people affected, and anyone who does nothing lands in Original Medicare on January 1, 2027.
The 390,000 figure came from UnitedHealth spokesperson Eric Hausman, who told Healthcare Brew by email that “about 390,000 members will be impacted by plan closures.” UnitedHealth reported 7.6 million Medicare Advantage members at the end of the third quarter, so the closures reach roughly 5% of its enrollment.
Which UnitedHealthcare members got a closing notice
UnitedHealthcare has not published a member-by-member list. Its provider FAQ says it “will send notifications dated Oct. 2, 2026, to members who are affected by these changes.” The notice describes the options available, including other Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare supplement coverage and Medicare Part D drug coverage where it applies.
UnitedHealthcare’s Bobby Hunter told investors on the October 13 third-quarter earnings call that the 2027 cuts focused on PPO plans, according to Healthcare Brew. Members who got a letter should read which plan name is closing and whether the notice is for a plan or only for a county.
The decision for anyone holding that letter is whether to pick another Medicare Advantage plan, move to Original Medicare with a drug plan, or stay with UnitedHealthcare in a different plan. Medicare’s plan finder lists every plan sold in a ZIP code, with each plan’s monthly premium, drug costs and network.
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December 7 is the main switching deadline
Medicare’s open enrollment period runs October 15 to December 7. During it, a person can join, drop or switch Medicare Advantage plans, with or without drug coverage, and new coverage starts January 1. Medicare.gov says the plan must receive the request by December 7.
UnitedHealthcare’s own FAQ adds one window for staying inside the company. Affected members may enroll in another UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan between October 15 and December 31, 2026, for a January 1, 2027 start. The earlier December 7 date is the safer one for anyone switching to a different insurer.
Anyone who picks a plan by December 7 gets coverage on January 1, 2027, the same day an unchosen closing plan ends. That leaves about six weeks from today to compare premiums, drug costs and networks on the plan finder, and to call the doctors and pharmacies a person already uses to ask whether they take the new plan.
What February 28 covers
The FAQ says members who “do not enroll” in a new plan “will automatically return to Original Medicare on Jan. 1, 2027.” Those who then want a Medicare Advantage plan again “may enroll in another Medicare Advantage option until Feb. 28, 2027.”
The February 28 window is therefore for people who land in Original Medicare, not an extension of the December 7 deadline for everyone. A person who returns to Original Medicare and needs prescription coverage should also look at a standalone Part D plan, which UnitedHealthcare lists among the options in the notice.
Members who move to Original Medicare also face a coverage gap that Medicare Advantage plans often fill: Original Medicare has no built-in drug benefit. UnitedHealthcare’s notice lists Medicare supplement insurance and Part D as choices for that reason, and each one is priced on its own.
Humana is cutting plans too
UnitedHealthcare is not alone. About 600,000 people are in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan that ends in 2027, Humana chief financial officer Celeste Mellet said on a July earnings call. That is about 8% of Humana’s nearly 7.2 million Medicare Advantage members, and Mellet said Humana hopes to “recapture a significant portion” of them.
Together the two insurers are ending plans that affect nearly 1 million people. For a person with a notice, the practical question is whether the doctors and drugs on the old plan are covered by the next one, since networks and drug lists change from plan to plan.
Which plan replaces the UnitedHealthcare one that is closing?
A closing plan leaves a short window to compare the options, and a plan chosen without checking prescriptions and doctors can leave a member paying more in January. Medicare.gov’s December 7 cutoff does not move for anyone who sits on the October 2 letter.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, a prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script, so a member can write down why one plan beats the next one before December 7.
Compare a replacement for the closing UnitedHealthcare plan with the Decision Kit calculator →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
