Medicare Advantage (technically "Medicare Part C" & originally called "Medicare+Choice") is a type of health plan in the United States offered by private companies as part of the original Social Security Act of 1965 that created Medicare. It permits a private insurance option that wraps around traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans attempt to fill some coverage gaps and offer alternative coverage options.
Under Part C, Medicare pays a plan operator a fixed payment for each enrollee. The operator then pays for their medical expenses. Traditional Medicare directly compensates providers on a fee-for-service basis. Plans are offered by integrated health delivery systems, labor unions, non profit charities, and health insurance companies, which may limit enrollment to specific groups of people (such as union members).
It may not make any difference but believe it or not sometimes it does, even under the Trump regime...and in fact in some cases they're actively stating that they're seeking comment as opposed to just ramming the proposed changes through.
The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act includes a long list of codified instructions about what's required under the law. However, like any major piece of legislation, many of the specific details are left up to the agency responsible for implementing the law.
It may not make any difference but believe it or not sometimes it does, even under the Trump regime...and in fact in some cases they're actively stating that they're seeking comment as opposed to just ramming the proposed changes through.
The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act includes a long list of codified instructions about what's required under the law. However, like any major piece of legislation, many of the specific details are left up to the agency responsible for implementing the law.
UPDATE: Someone correctly pointed out that it’s a bit unfair to tell people to “be afraid” without giving them any action items to try and stave off the uglier changes being proposed. You have until March 13th to submit a comment to CMS. It may not make any difference but believe it or not sometimes it does, even under the Trump regime.
The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act includes a long list of codified instructions about what's required under the law. However, like any major piece of legislation, many of the specific details are left up to the agency responsible for implementing the law.
According to the new report, total enrollment from December 2024 through June 2025 dropped by 517,000 people, or roughly 2.5%, standing at 20.4 million nationally as of last June, so it doesn't look like the Trump Admin has started cooking these particular books, at least not yet.
Marketplace 2026 Open Enrollment Period (OEP) Report: National Snapshot
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 23.0 million consumers have signed up for 2026 individual market health insurance coverage through the Marketplaces since the start of the 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP) on November 1, 2025.
This includes 15.8 million Marketplace plan selections in the 30 states using the HealthCare.gov platform for the 2026 plan year and 7.2 million plan selections in the 20 states and the District of Columbia with state-based Exchanges (SBEs) that are using their own eligibility and enrollment platforms.[1]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 22.8 million consumers have signed up for 2026 individual market health insurance coverage through the Marketplaces since the start of the 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP) on November 1, 2025. This includes 15.6 million Marketplace plan selections in the 30 states using the HealthCare.gov platform for the 2026 plan year and 7.2 million plan selections in the 20 states and the District of Columbia with state-based Exchanges (SBEs) that are using their own eligibility and enrollment platforms.
Total nationwide plan selections include 2.8 million consumers who are new to the Marketplaces for 2026, and 20.0 million consumers who had active 2025 coverage and selected a plan for 2026 coverage or were automatically re-enrolled.
