The 2027 Carrier Scorecard: Who Grew, Who Shrank and What to Do
Every fall we get to watch the carriers show their hand. For 2027 they split into two camps.. A few held or grew. Most shrank.
Before you set your AEP game plan, know where each one landed. Your appointments and your book depend on it.
Who Held or Grew
UnitedHealthcare. MA in 2,791 counties across 47 states plus DC, up less than 1%. UHC is also exiting Wyoming and disrupting about 390k members. So "flat" still means some of your clients are moving.
Elevance. 1,518 counties across 23 states, up two counties. It's exiting South Carolina.
Devoted Health. The biggest grower. Going from 999 counties to 1,341 and entering 342 new ones. New states are Connecticut, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York. Its C-SNPs more than double, from 122 to 255.
Alignment. Expanding 22.2% to 55 counties across five states.
Clover. Holding at 203 counties across five states.
Who Shrank
Humana. Down 2.1%, or 57 counties, including a Minnesota exit. Humana says it will still offer MA in about 2.6k counties across 45 states and DC. That's more than 80% of U.S. counties, compared with about 85% last year.
CVS/Aetna. 2,087 counties across 41 states plus DC. Down 3.3%, or 72 counties. It's exiting Maryland and New Hampshire.
Centene. 1,692 counties across 29 states. Down 8.7%, or 161 counties. It's exiting Hawaii, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
HCSC. The steepest cut on the list. Shrinking from 948 counties to 450, following its purchase of Cigna's MA business in 2025.
Kaiser. 117 MA plans in 2027, down from 126. It's dropping its last three PPOs.
State Exits at a Glance
If you write in any of these states, check your book today.
Wyoming: UHC
Minnesota: Humana
Maryland and New Hampshire: CVS/Aetna
South Carolina: Elevance
Hawaii, Oklahoma and Tennessee: Centene
Those are the national carriers. Regional and health system plans are leaving too, and we cover those in a separate post.
What This Means for Your Appointments
Get appointed where the growth is. Devoted is entering five new states and 342 new counties. If you're in those markets and you're not appointed, fix that now. Same with UHC and Elevance where they're stable or adding.
Keep the carriers that shrank. Humana, Aetna and Centene are smaller this year. They're still big. Humana alone is in roughly 2.6k counties. You'll still write plenty of business with them.. Just know exactly which of your counties they left.
Keep a SNP lens. Devoted's C-SNP growth is a signal. Carriers are pushing SNPs and HMOs hardest. Make sure your appointments and certifications cover the SNP products in your area.
Medsupp and PDP matter more this year. Where carriers pulled out and options got thin, some clients are going to be better served outside MA. If you don't have solid medsupp and PDP appointments, you'll be stuck right when you need them.
What This Means for Your book
Sort your clients by carrier first. Then by county.
For every carrier that shrank, list which of your counties they left. Those clients need a call.
HCSC clients deserve a close look. A carrier cutting more than half its counties is going to move a lot of people.
For UHC, 390k disrupted members is a real number even with a flat footprint. Check plan level changes too. County lists won't show you everything.
For clients with carriers that grew, look at whether the new options are a better fit. Just don't churn people for the sake of it. A stable client in a stable plan is a good outcome.
Don't Sleep on the Regional Players
The nationals get the headlines. The smaller names still matter.
Alignment growing 22.2% matters if you're in its five states. Clover holding at 203 counties gives its members some steadiness. Devoted's jump changes the math in a lot of markets it just entered.
The right regional carrier in the right county can be the best fit for a client. Know who's in your market and what they're bringing for 2027.
Protect the Relationship
When a carrier leaves a county, those clients go somewhere. If you help them move, you keep the relationship. If you don't, somebody else gets them.
That's the whole game this AEP. Protect the book you've built..
Need help lining up appointments for 2027? We'll walk through your carrier mix with you. Reach out to BROCK.
Industry Insight: Why is this happening?
At first glance, it looks like Medicare Advantage is still full of choices. Most beneficiaries can still choose from numerous plans. But plan count and competition aren't always the same thing.
According to Andrew Saul's analysis, two parent organizations, UnitedHealth Group and Humana, accounted for approximately 46% of Medicare Advantage enrollment nationally. In many counties, a small number of organizations control the majority of enrollment.
That's why carrier exits matter more than they sometimes appear on paper.
When a smaller carrier changes strategy, few people notice. When large organizations reduce counties, exit markets, or shift their focus, entire communities of beneficiaries and agents feel the impact. As Andrew notes:
"When a carrier covering millions of people changes strategy, entire markets move."
The takeaway for agents is simple:
Don't just count how many plans exist in your market.
Pay attention to which organizations are growing, which are shrinking, and where enrollment is concentrated. Those shifts often create the biggest opportunities and the biggest disruptions during AEP.
Stay Ahead of the Changes
This year's carrier movements are only part of the story.
If you want more than headlines and carrier announcements, join us throughout the week:
Monday
Join Justin Brock and Andrew Saul live every Monday as they discuss:
2027 Medicare changes
Carrier exits
Service Area Reductions
Industry trends
Tuesday
GPS Training: Learn how to identify the right opportunities and naviagte client conversations using Brock's GPS framework. The GPS process focuses on Medicare knowledge, health history, budge discussions, coverage reviews, and retirement conversations.
Wednesday
Selling HDG to a SAR: Strategies for helping clients impacted by Service Area Reductions and evaluating High Deductible Plan G opportunities.
Thursday
Product + Carrier Highlights: A deeper dive into carrier opportunities and product positioning.
