Medicare Advantage in 2026: What You Need to Know
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Contract Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D landscape file. This resource offers a comprehensive look at the MA plan and Medicare Part D prescription drug program (PDP) offerings including plan choices, premiums and benefits for the upcoming year.
Notably, MA enrollment is projected to decline from 34.9 million in 2025 to 34 million in 2026 for the first time in over a decade. However, CMS anticipates that enrollment in MA plans will exceed the plans’ own projections, based on historical patterns and prevailing trends. Although the total number of available MA plans is projected to decrease slightly from 5,633 in 2025 to approximately 5,600, Special Needs Plans (continue to expand with a 33% increase in 2026.
Additional highlights include:
◼️SNPs are continuing to grow, with 1,797 SNPs available in 2026.
- C-SNPs showed the highest growth, increasing 42% to 556 plans.
- Dual Eligible SNPs (D-SNP) remain the largest segment, with 1,085 plans—a 15% increase from the previous year.
- Institutional SNP (I-SNPs) offerings declined by 5%, primarily due to large insurer-based plans exiting the MA marketplace. However, provider-led plans are experiencing growth.
◼️Over 99% of Medicare beneficiaries will have access to at least one MA plan, and 97% of beneficiaries will have access to 10 or more choices.
◼️Despite structural changes to Part D risk adjustment and benefit caps, actual premiums for both standalone Part D prescription plans and MA plans that included drug coverage decreased in 2026—contrary to earlier projections.
- The average premium for standalone Part D plans is expected to decrease from $38.31 in 2025 to $34.50.
- For MA-PD plans, the average Part D premium is projected to drop from $13.32 in 2025 to $11.50 next year.
Open enrollment starts today, October 15, and runs through December 7.