UnitedHealthcare, Humana Medicare Advantage cancellations to affect 1 million

( NewsNation ) — UnitedHealthcare and Humana are canceling Medicare Advantage plans , a move that will affect nearly one million people.

The companies are the two largest private health insurance companies for older adults in the U.S. and are ending plans in specific areas where they are making less money, a shift that comes as Medicare enrollment season starts .

The decision was made to protect corporate profits, Fortune reported .

Medicare Advantage plans being discontinued

The plans being discontinued are primarily Preferred Provider Organizations, which offer more flexible provider networks.

UnitedHealth Group said about 390,000 members will lose coverage, Fortune reported, due to unexpectedly high healthcare usage and rising medical costs that lowered the company’s stock value in 2025. Around 600,000 people will lose care through Humana.

Health insurance companies typically cancel plans that have lower profits to encourage customers to leave or switch to a different plan that costs the insurer less, often by offering fewer benefits to the customer.

That means patients could find themselves facing fewer plan perks, more limits on covered doctors and higher out-of-pocket costs. UnitedHealthcare’s cuts focused on plans that allow patients to see out-of-network doctors.

Moving to restricted plans allows insurers to keep spending lower through policies that give the insurer more influence in how often patients visit doctors or get medical tests.

Major insurers are scaling back benefits to protect profits

The majority of major insurers are scaling back benefits to protect profits amid rising medical costs, reducing dental coverage and increasing out-of-pocket amounts.

Seniors are also seeing the disappearance of $0 prescription drug plans, meaning they will now have to pay a monthly fee to have prescriptions covered.

While companies are cutting some plans, they are also expanding specialized plans for severe illnesses. Companies cannot charge Medicare recipients more for such plans, which are limited to specific conditions, but do receive higher subsidies from the government.