The Medicare Advantage Reset

A Market in Disruption — and a Generational Opportunity for Agencies
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The Market Context

The Medicare Advantage market is entering one of the most significant periods of disruption in its history.
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For 2026, major carriers — UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Elevance Health, and Humana — have pulled back from hundreds of counties across the country.
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This is not a normal adjustment cycle.

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It’s a structural reset.
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According to KFF, 13% of all individual MA-PD enrollees are facing plan terminations heading into 2026 — more than double 2024 levels and nearly 10x the historical average.
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What This Means

For beneficiaries, this environment creates:

• Confusion around coverage changes
• Forced plan switching
• A growing need for clear, trusted guidance

For agencies and agents, it creates something very different:

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A rare window of opportunity.

Millions of seniors are actively re-evaluating their coverage — not passively renewing, but actively looking for help.At the same time, the distribution channel itself is shifting.

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A Channel Under Pressure

The broader insurance landscape is undergoing its own transformation.Research from LIMRA shows that:

• Independent distribution now dominates across life and health products
• 65% of intermediaries report rising distribution costs
• Agencies are increasingly turning to technology to protect margins

At the same time, McKinsey & Company highlights a clear trend:

• Customer acquisition costs are increasing
• Under-supported brokers are being pushed out
• Well-equipped agencies are consolidating market share

This is creating a divide.Not between large and small agencies — but between those with infrastructure and those without it.

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The New Reality

Growth in today’s market is no longer just about access.It’s about:

• Operational structure
• Speed of execution
• Visibility into your business
• The ability to support agents at scale

The agencies that win in this environment are not simply expanding.They are operating better.

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The Scale of the Opportunity

The Medicare Advantage market itself continues to grow — even as it restructures.

• 51% of all Medicare-eligible Americans are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage
• Representing 34.5+ million people
• Source: Chartis, 2025 Enrollment Report

At the same time:

• 13% of MA-PD enrollees are being forced to switch plans in 2026
• Source: KFF

And across the industry:

• 65% of intermediaries are actively looking to technology to offset rising costs
• Source: LIMRA

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What This Means for Your Agency

This is not just a moment of disruption.It’s a moment of redefinition.The market is actively rewarding:

• Agencies that can recruit and onboard efficiently
• Agencies that can support agents beyond contracting
• Agencies that can operate with structure and visibility
• Agencies that can move faster than the market

And it is exposing those that rely on:

• Manual processes
• Fragmented systems
• Limited operational support

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The Divide Is Already Forming

Some agencies will experience this cycle as instability.Others will experience it as acceleration.The difference will not be:

• Geography
• Size
• Carrier mix

It will be infrastructure.

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Where Carepoint Fits

Carepoint is built for this exact environment.Not as a vendor.
 Not as a tool.But as infrastructure for growth.A centralized system designed to help agencies:

• Reduce administrative burden
• Improve visibility across their business
• Support agents at scale
• Move faster in moments that matter

Because in a market like this:The opportunity does not go to everyone.
 It goes to those who are built to capture it.

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Final Thought

This is not a temporary shift.

It is a structural change in how the Medicare Advantage market operates — and how agencies grow within it.The question is no longer:

‍“Is there opportunity?”

‍The question is:

‍“Are you positioned to take advantage of it?”

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