Over the last decade, Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, has taken on a prominent role in the Medicare program. In 2024, nearly 33 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, more than half, or 54%, of the eligible Medicare population.
Despite concerns that modifications to the payment formula and higher utilization would impact the number of Medicare Advantage plans offered in 2025, the Medicare Advantage market appears to be relatively stable. While Medicare Advantage insurers have made some adjustments in their offerings, the average Medicare beneficiary has a choice of more than 30 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans, and virtually all plans provide multiple extra benefits like vision, hearing and dental benefits, similar to last year.
This brief provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage plans that are available for 2025 and key trends over time. This analysis uses data from the CMS Landscape files. In general, this brief refers to individual Medicare plans available for general enrollment, excludes Special Needs Plans (SNPs), except where noted, and excludes employer plans. A second, companion analysis, describes premiums and benefits that are available for 2025 Medicare Advantage plans and over time.
Medicare Advantage Highlights for 2025
- The average Medicare beneficiary will have the option of 34 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2025, 2 fewer than the 36 options available in 2024. Across all plans for individual enrollment, including those with and without prescription drug coverage, the average beneficiary has 42 options in 2025, compared to 43 options in both 2023 and 2024.
- The number of plans available to the average beneficiary varies across states. In 27 states and Puerto Rico, the average beneficiary has a choice of fewer plans in 2025 than in 2024, while in 16 states and DC, the average beneficiary has a choice of more plans, and in six states the number of plans available, on average, stayed the same.
- Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries (32%) live in a county with more than 50 Medicare Advantage plans available in 2025, up from 7 percent in 2020, and similar to 2024 (33%). Less than 0.5 percent live in a county with no plans available.
- The average Medicare beneficiary can choose among plans offered by 8 firms in 2025, the same as in 2024. Three new insurers entered the Medicare Advantage market in 2025, while eight firms exited the market in 2025.
- Major insurers are both expanding into new counties and exiting others. For example, Humana is entering 12 new counties and exiting 70 counties, while UnitedHealthcare is entering 42 new counties and exiting 38 counties. Both insurers are offering plans in nearly 90% of all U.S. counties.
- About 5% of current Medicare Advantage enrollees in individual MA-PDs (or about 1.4 million people) are in a plan that has been terminated for 2025, while up to 7% of enrollees in MA-PDs (or as many as 1.8 million people) may be affected by a consolidation, meaning they are in a plan where some portion of the 2024 enrollment will be automatically assigned to a different plan in 2025.
- More than half (58%) of Medicare beneficiaries live in a county (1,188) where at least one firm is offering 10 or more plans for individual enrollment.