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Humana and UnitedHealthcare are ending Medicare Advantage plans for about 1 million

Medicare Advantage plan cuts at Humana and UnitedHealthcare will affect about 1 million older members, and here is what each insurer has disclosed about exits and replacement plans

About 1 million people aged 65 or older belong to Medicare Advantage plans that Humana $HUM -0.36% and UnitedHealthcare are set to close. The two companies, among the biggest private health insurers in the U.S., will end certain Medicare Advantage plans starting next year, CBS News reported. Healthcare Brew first reported the story.

Humana accounts for the larger share of these Medicare Advantage plan cuts. A Humana spokesperson told CBS News that about 600,000 enrollees will be affected. The company tied those exits to 2027 in its statement. UnitedHealthcare confirmed it is ending a single Medicare Advantage plan with roughly 390,000 members. For that closure, the reporting gives no timing beyond next year. The two figures come to roughly 990,000 combined. CBS News describes the total as about 1 million.

That figure counts members of plans that are closing. It does not mean all of those people will lose health coverage. Humana said most of its affected members will be offered another plan. UnitedHealthcare said members of the closing plan will be able to move into a different UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan.

The two insurers framed the exits in different terms. Humana said it regularly evaluates its Medicare offerings "to ensure we can continue providing affordable, coordinated care and access to high-quality care." It described the 2027 exits as previously disclosed. UnitedHealthcare pointed to higher costs and greater use of plans. It said those pressures reach across the healthcare industry.

The reporting leaves several details open. It does not name the plans being closed or the states where they operate. It also does not say what share of either company's total enrollment the exits represent.

This list covers those two insurers only. It is not a ranking of every company scaling back Medicare Advantage offerings. The five slides that follow look at Humana's exits and UnitedHealthcare's closure. They also cover the cost pressures UnitedHealthcare cited, the replacement plans on offer and how the story first came to light.

Humana's 2027 Medicare Advantage plan exits affect about 600,000 members

Humana $HUM -0.36% expects its Medicare Advantage plan exits for 2027 to affect about........

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