CVS Health's Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealth plan to scale back Medicare Advantage offerings in 2026 due to government reimbursement cuts and rising healthcare costs.

Accountable care organizations — which run like Medicare Advantage plans — get financially penalized when they spend too much. This may be where Medicare is heading.

UnitedHealth said it will stop offering Medicare Advantage plans in 109 U.S. counties in 2026, impacting 180,000 members, as the company balances higher costs with reimbursement pressure in the insurance program.

Aetna has released the details of its Medicare Advantage plans for 2026, which focus on preventative care and drug cost savings.

The notices for 2026 plans, experts say, are likely to contain especially dramatic changes due to turmoil at health insurers selling the plans and rising Medicare costs.

Mass General Brigham will stop accepting UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plan as in-network coverage, a change that will affect about 15,600 patients, according to the hospital system. The decision comes ahead of Medicare’s annual enrollment period, and officials said impacted patients are being notified with time to review their options.

Some seniors in the Rochester area are receiving termination letters about their Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 as re-enrollment season starts.

Multiple health insurers are scaling back on healthcare plan offerings for 2026, specifically, Medicare Advantage Plans, given reduced government reimbursements and rising costs. A viewer, who did not want to be identified,

Approximately 158,000 Minnesotans, mostly seniors, will need to find a new insurance plan, with open enrollment beginning on Oct. 15.

UnitedHealth said on Wednesday that it plans to withdraw Medicare Advantage coverage from nearly four dozen Minnesota counties, a move it blamed on Medicare funding cuts.

Based on the preliminary 2026 data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Humana has about 1.2 million, or 20%, of its members currently enrolled in plans rated 4 stars and above for 2026. The stock was recently up 3.8% to $256.10 and is up about 1.5% this year.

Citing massive spending on federal entitlement programs, a new report from fiscal watchdog OpenTheBooks urges for greater spending transparency at the federal level.