Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Jakob Emerson on Medicare Advantage Shifts and Payer Market Disruption
Mar 5, 2026
Jakob Emerson, Associate News Director and payer markets reporter, breaks down shifting Medicare Advantage dynamics. He highlights slowing overall MA growth, big gains for regional and system-owned plans, and mounting federal scrutiny of large insurers. He also covers CMS funding pressure, risk-adjustment settlements, and operational risks as plans expand rapidly.
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Medicare Advantage Growth Is Slowing
- Medicare Advantage continues to grow but at a slower pace, dropping from historical 5–10% to 3.6% and most recently 2.5%, reaching just over 35 million members.
- Jakob Emerson notes the slowdown reflects a shift away from aggressive expansion by big insurers toward more measured growth across the market.
Regional And System Plans Gained Ground
- Smaller, regional, and system-owned plans captured outsized enrollment gains as large national insurers pulled back.
- Examples include SCAN jumping into the top 10 nationally and Alignment and other system plans seeing major membership increases.
Traditional Medicare And Special Needs Plans Are Rising
- Traditional Medicare enrollment rose by about 600,000, reversing years of decline, while special needs plans (including dual-eligible) are a major growth driver.
- These niche plan types and traditional Medicare choices are reshaping senior coverage patterns.