The Medicare Advantage Reset

A Market in Disruption — and a Generational Opportunity for Agencies

The Market Context

The Medicare Advantage market is entering one of the most significant periods of disruption in its history.

For 2026, major carriers — UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Elevance Health, and Humana — have pulled back from hundreds of counties across the country.

This is not a normal adjustment cycle.
It’s a structural reset.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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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