UnitedHealthcare served about 7.6 million people through Medicare Advantage at the end of September, down from about 8.4 million a year earlier. The company’s results table shows 840,000 fewer Medicare Advantage members than at the end of 2025. UnitedHealth does not say why in its results, and the shift lands just as open enrollment begins.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, which reported $4.1 billion in third-quarter profit and raised its 2026 forecast. Members of its Medicare Advantage plans are among the people deciding now whether to stay put for 2027.
The membership count, date by date
UnitedHealth’s third-quarter earnings release lists Medicare Advantage membership at 7,605 thousand on September 30, 2026. The same table shows 8,435 thousand on September 30, 2025, a drop of 830,000, or about 9.8%.
Year-end 2025 stood at 8,445 thousand, so the decline since January is 840,000. Membership edged up 40,000 from the 7,565 thousand reported on June 30, which means the losses came earlier in the year.
The company also says the seniors it serves through Medicare Advantage, counting complex populations that sit inside Medicaid, have contracted by 935,000 since year-end 2025. That is a broader count than the 840,000 in the membership table.
Medicare and Retirement revenue at UnitedHealthcare fell to $42.4 billion from $43.4 billion a year earlier. The release attributes the decline to changes in membership and product mix. It does not break out Medicare Advantage margins or describe 2027 plan changes.
For a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage member, the question is whether the plan is still the right one for 2027 and what changes with it. The company’s own numbers show it is covering fewer people than last year. Anyone in a plan should look for a mailed notice listing next year’s premium, drug costs and network, since those details decide whether to keep or switch.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do. Bonus when you subscribe: our 2027 Medicare Plan-Change Checklist.
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Profit rose while the rolls shrank
UnitedHealth Group reported revenue of $112.7 billion for the quarter and adjusted earnings of $4.69 a share, or $4.56 on a standard accounting basis. It raised the full-year outlook to at least $19.50 a share, and at least $20.50 on an adjusted basis.
UnitedHealthcare’s earnings from operations were $2.8 billion, up from $1.8 billion a year ago. The medical care ratio, the share of premiums spent on care, was 88.4% against 89.9% a year earlier. That figure covers the whole company and includes $610 million of favorable adjustments to earlier reserves.
Becker’s Payer Issues, which covered the results, puts total medical membership at 48.3 million, down from 50.1 million a year earlier, and notes that profit rose about 75%.
Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley said the quarter reflected “the discipline and execution our teams are bringing to every part of our business.”
The member-facing promises
UnitedHealth’s release lists steps aimed at patients and doctors. The company says it will eliminate 30% of its current prior approval volume by the end of 2026. It is also expanding eligibility for its Gold Card program and removing prior approvals for home health, which together eliminate nearly 10% of UnitedHealthcare’s prior approval volume.
Hemsley said on the earnings call that UnitedHealth is rolling out AI-powered plan recommendations for the upcoming Medicare Advantage enrollment period, based on a member’s care history and local plan options, according to Becker’s.
The company also says it will rebate profits from its individual ACA plans in 2026 to about 1 million members. The release says 2027 Medicare Advantage Stars results, with at least 69% of members in plans rated four stars or higher, were in line with the company’s expectations.
These are company commitments, not federal rules, and the release gives no plan-by-plan detail for 2027. UnitedHealthcare members will find their own plan’s changes in the notice the plan sends, and the drug rebate pledge runs to the company’s clients, not to members.
The enrollment window runs to December 7
Medicare’s annual open enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7, according to the CMS announcement of 2027 plan terms. CMS says the weighted average monthly Medicare Advantage premium is projected to fall to $12.00 in 2027 from $14.37 in 2026, and about eight in ten members can keep their plan at the same or a lower premium.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said, “We urge beneficiaries to use Open Enrollment as an opportunity to review their coverage.” People who want to keep their current coverage generally do not need to re-enroll. Plans can be compared on Medicare’s Plan Finder or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE, which is open 24 hours a day.
CMS projects 34 million people in Medicare Advantage in 2027, about 47.4% of everyone with Medicare, and expects actual enrollment to exceed what plans project.
Those averages describe the whole program, not any one insurer. A UnitedHealthcare member’s own 2027 premium, drugs and network depend on the specific plan and county. The open question for each member is whether that plan’s 2027 terms match the doctors and prescriptions they use now.
Still in a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan for 2027?
Keeping a plan by default is a choice too, and CMS says people who want to keep their coverage generally do not need to act. A member who never compares can miss a change in premium, drug costs or doctors before the window closes on December 7.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus the Open Enrollment calendar. A prescription-by-plan comparison and a provider call script come with it, so a member can keep, switch or wait with a written reason.
Compare plans on cost, drugs and doctors with the open enrollment kit →
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
