UnitedHealth, Aetna dump Medicare members, Humana grows

Bob Herman covers medical health insurance, authorities packages, hospitals, physicians, and different suppliers — reporting on how cash influences these companies and shapes what all of us pay for care. He’s additionally the creator of the Well being Care Inc. e-newsletter. You possibly can attain Bob on Sign at bobjherman.09.

The Medicare Benefit program continues to usher in extra older adults and folks with disabilities, however not practically on the identical charges from only a few years in the past.

Nearly 35.5 million folks have been enrolled in a Medicare Benefit plan as of Feb. 1, up roughly 3% from 34.4 million on the identical time in 2025, in line with new federal information analyzed by STAT. The expansion throughout Medicare’s annual enrollment window, which runs from Oct. 15 by Dec. 7, stagnated — with enrollment growing simply 1%.

By comparability, annual enrollment development in Medicare Benefit ranged between 7% and 10% between 2017 and 2024, in line with historic information evaluation by STAT.