Best Medicare Advantage Plans 2027

In a normal year, picking a Medicare Advantage carrier is a question of which plan is best. For 2027 there is a prior question: which plans will still exist.

Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health puts roughly 2.9 million Americans — about one in ten Medicare Advantage members — in plans being discontinued. Twelve states are seeing disenrollment rates above 20%. In Vermont, 92% of Medicare Advantage members are losing their current coverage. Rural counties are hit hardest, and that is not a coincidence: UnitedHealthcare and Humana together hold at least 75% of enrollment in 28% of US counties, so when one of them pulls out of a rural market there is frequently no comparable replacement waiting.

The announcements so far for 2027:

A frozen commission is worth understanding, because it is the quietest signal on that list. When a carrier stops paying agents to sell a plan but does not formally cancel it, the plan technically remains available and quietly stops being offered to anyone. Plan exits and commission freezes are the same strategy at different intensities.

This is why our ranking weights stability at 25 points. A four-star plan you get moved out of in twelve months is worth less than a three-and-a-half-star plan that stays put.

Click here to learn more about UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage HMO Plans.

Four criteria, 100 points total. We are publishing the weights so you can disagree with them, because for a lot of people the right weights are different.

The largest Medicare Advantage carrier in the country at roughly 9.3 million members and 26% of the market, and a provider network of about one million clinicians reaching more counties than anyone else. Seventy-seven percent of its members are in 4-star-or-better plans, second among the broadly available national carriers.

It finishes first because availability and network breadth are where it is genuinely unmatched, and because it pairs that reach with quality scores most of its competitors cannot approach. For someone who wants the widest possible choice of doctors and hospitals and a strong chance of a well-rated plan being available in their county, this is the default answer.

The case against it is real, though. UnitedHealthcare shed 647,000 members in 2026, the largest decline of any carrier, and it is exiting 34 counties across 12 states for 2027, with roughly two-thirds of the affected policies being PPO plans. It scores 16 out of 25 on stability, the second-worst mark among carriers that are not actively leaving the business. More detail on its structure is in our UnitedHealthcare 2027 overview and our UnitedHealthcare PPO breakdown.

If you take one thing from this page, take the spread in the chart below. The gap between the best and worst carrier on measured plan quality is not a few percentage points. It is the difference between essentially all members in a highly rated plan and roughly one in five.

CMS rates plans from 1 to 5 stars on more than 40 measures covering clinical outcomes, member experience, customer service and complaints. The rating attaches to the contract, not the individual plan, so every plan sold under one contract inherits the same score whatever it is called in your county. Your plan’s contract ID appears on its Summary of Benefits, formatted like H5216-043, and it is the number to look up rather than trusting a carrier’s national average.

Medicare Advantage enrollment reached 35.2 million in 2026, or 55% of everyone eligible for Medicare — up from 19% in 2007 and projected to reach 63% by 2034. Growth slowed sharply, adding 1.1 million net members for a 3% increase, and special needs plans accounted for 85% of that net growth.

But the more useful number is where those members went.

Enrollment moved in the opposite direction from quality. The carrier that grew most has the lowest share of members in well-rated plans. Two of the carriers with the highest quality scores lost members. Medicare Advantage enrollment follows price and marketing reach, not measured outcomes — which is the single best argument against choosing a plan from a “most popular” list.

Three federal changes also apply to every plan in 2027 regardless of carrier. The Part D out-of-pocket maximum rises to $2,400 from $2,100. The standard Part D deductible rises to a maximum of $700 from $615. And CMS set the 2027 in-network out-of-pocket cap at $9,850, with the combined in-network and out-of-network cap at $14,800. Our 2027 costs and benefits breakdown covers what these mean in practice.

A national ranking narrows the field. It does not pick your plan. Four steps close the gap:

Plan-level details for 2027 publish October 1, 2026. Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage that begins January 1, 2027.

➤  What company has the highest rated Medicare Advantage plan?

By the share of members enrolled in 4-star-or-better plans, Kaiser Permanente and Alignment Healthcare lead at essentially 100%, though both operate in limited geographies. Among carriers available across most of the country, Aetna leads at 81%, followed by UnitedHealthcare at 77%. These are 2026 CMS ratings; the 2027 ratings publish in October 2026. Note that CMS rates the contract rather than the individual plan, so a carrier with a strong national average can still sell a lower-rated plan in your specific county.

➤  What will happen to Medicare Advantage plans in 2027?

The market is contracting. Research from Johns Hopkins puts roughly 2.9 million members — about one in ten — in plans being discontinued, with twelve states seeing disenrollment above 20% and Vermont at 92%. Humana is exiting plans covering about 600,000 members, UnitedHealthcare is leaving 34 counties across 12 states, Aetna has frozen broker commissions on 123 plans in 33 states, and Molina is dropping standard individual Medicare Advantage drug plans entirely. Federally, the Part D out-of-pocket cap rises to $2,400 and the standard deductible to a maximum of $700.

➤  What is the best Medicare Advantage plan for 2027?

There is no single best plan, because Medicare Advantage is sold county by county and the options available to you may be a fraction of what exists nationally. On our scoring, UnitedHealthcare ranks first nationally at 83 points on the strength of availability and network breadth, Aetna second at 78 on quality, and Kaiser Permanente third at 75 — though Kaiser outscores both on quality and stability and ranks third only because most people cannot buy it. If Kaiser sells in your county, start there.

➤  Which Medicare Advantage carriers are cutting plans for 2027?

Humana is exiting plans covering roughly 600,000 members. UnitedHealthcare is leaving 34 counties across 12 states, with about two-thirds of affected policies being PPO plans. Aetna froze broker commissions on 123 plans across 33 states and nearly 780 counties. Molina is dropping its standard individual Medicare Advantage drug plans. Presbyterian Health Plan is exiting most markets, affecting about 30,000 members. Kaiser Permanente is the only major carrier with no announced 2027 contraction. Specific county and plan lists arrive with non-renewal notices and the October 1, 2026 plan data release.

➤  What insurance is better than UnitedHealthcare?

On measured plan quality, several carriers score higher. Kaiser Permanente and Alignment Healthcare have essentially 100% of members in 4-star-or-better plans against UnitedHealthcare’s 77%, and Aetna reaches 81%. On availability and network size, nothing beats UnitedHealthcare — it serves more counties than any competitor with a network of roughly one million providers. Which carrier is better depends entirely on whether the higher-quality options sell where you live, and for most of the country Kaiser and Alignment do not.

➤  Is Humana a good Medicare Advantage plan for 2027?

It depends on what you are optimizing for. Humana is genuinely strong on price, its Part B giveback offering is among the most widely available in the market, and its average out-of-pocket maximum has historically run below both Aetna’s and UnitedHealthcare’s. But only about 20% of its members are in 4-star-or-better plans, the lowest of any major carrier and down from 25% the prior year, and it is exiting plans covering roughly 600,000 members for 2027. If premium is your binding constraint it belongs on your shortlist; if measured quality is your priority it does not.

➤  How do I know if my Medicare Advantage plan is being discontinued?

Your plan must send you an Annual Notice of Change in September, and a separate non-renewal notice if the plan is ending. Read both. If your plan is being discontinued you generally qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, which gives you more time and more options than the standard Annual Enrollment window, including the right to move to Original Medicare with a Medigap policy under certain guaranteed-issue protections. Do not wait for the news to tell you — carriers notify members directly and the notice is the document that matters.

➤  Do Medicare Advantage star ratings actually matter?

They are the only quality measure that is independently calculated, applied identically to every carrier, and published by the federal government, covering more than 40 measures across clinical outcomes, member experience, customer service and complaints. They are not perfect — they lag by a year and they rate the contract rather than the individual plan — but no better standardized comparison exists. They also carry financial weight: contracts rated 4 stars and above earn bonus payments, which is part of why carriers are exiting lower-rated plans.

➤  When will 2027 Medicare Advantage plan details be available?

October 1, 2026. That is when CMS publishes plan-level premiums, networks, drug formularies, supplemental benefits and the 2027 star ratings for every county. Annual Enrollment opens two weeks later on October 15 and runs through December 7, for coverage beginning January 1, 2027. Those two weeks are a real advantage — you can compare everything before anyone can enroll.

➤  Is Medicare Advantage worth it in 2027?

Enrollment says most people think so — 35.2 million Americans, or 55% of everyone eligible for Medicare, are in a Medicare Advantage plan, up from 19% in 2007. The trade is real either way: Medicare Advantage typically costs less monthly and bundles drug coverage and extras, in exchange for a provider network and prior authorization requirements Original Medicare does not impose. The 2027 contraction changes the calculation for one specific group — people in rural counties where a carrier withdrawal may leave no comparable replacement. If that is you, price a Medigap policy alongside your Advantage options while you still have guaranteed-issue rights.