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Consumers enrolled in Medicare<\/a> Advantage health insurance are in the middle of a short annual window when they can reassess their coverage options \u2014 and experts say it’s smart to do so this year as both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private insurers consider changes. <\/p>\n CMS announced<\/a> in late January new proposed policies for Medicare Advantage and Part D<\/a> that are aimed at ensuring payments to insurers are accurate, according to the agency. It also proposed new Medicare Advantage payment rates that would be mostly flat \u2014 up just 0.9% from 2026 to 2027, representing $700 million in payments to plans.<\/p>\n The government’s payment rate determines how much insurers can charge enrollees for premiums and plan benefits.<\/p>\n Stocks of large health care companies tumbled on the announcement<\/a>. Analysts were expecting a 4% to 6% increase, and insurers have said<\/a> that the proposed rates may prompt benefit cuts or plan closures.<\/p>\n In 2025, more than half \u2014 54% \u2014 of Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, according to KFF<\/a>, a nonpartisan health policy, research, polling and news organization. About 34.1 million beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, versus 62.8 million enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, according to KFF. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n