According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Medicare Advantage study, Kaiser Permanente in California and UnitedHealthcare in Florida topped overall satisfaction among Medicare Advantage members, while Humana trailed closely.
Member satisfaction fell for a second straight year. Nationwide, the overall score dropped 12 points on a 1,000-point scale from the previous year and is 41 points lower than in 2024.
Only 43 % of respondents said they strongly agreed their plan acted as a trusted partner in health and wellness, indicating a gap in perceived reliability.
Plans that score high tend to emphasize clear communication during onboarding, a factor that sharply lifts trust when members fully grasp their coverage.
Special-needs offerings received strong marks for coordinated care and personalized support, suggesting that targeted services boost member confidence.
Among newcomers who reported a solid grasp of their coverage, 34 % felt their insurer helped them prepare for unexpected events and 29 % believed the insurer anticipated their needs. Among new members who said they did not understand their coverage, those rates were cut nearly half to 17% and 16%, respectively.
Plans are up against rising financial pressures, narrower access to provider networks, and prescription drug and outpatient care cost increases.
Plans are up against rising financial pressures, narrower access to provider networks, and prescription drug and outpatient care cost increases,” is not a complete quote, the full quote from Meaghan Hafner is: “Healthcare has grown increasingly complex and exceedingly costly, and Medicare Advantage plans are juggling these challenging market forces while trying to guide their members to the best outcomes,”
Top Scores by State
In California, Kaiser Permanente earned a score of 665, its third consecutive lead, with SCAN Health Plan close behind at 656. Florida’s highest rating went to UnitedHealthcare at 621, edging Humana (620) and Freedom Health (619).
Georgia saw UnitedHealthcare repeat its top spot with 656 points, while Aetna Medicare placed second at 628. In Illinois, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois led with 638, and UnitedHealthcare followed at 629.
Kentucky’s members favored Humana at 625, with UnitedHealthcare at 606. Michigan’s second-year champion was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan scoring 676, ahead of other providers.
New York’s leading plan was Excellus BlueCross BlueShield at 618 for the fourth year running, with Healthfirst at 611. North Carolina’s top score belonged to UnitedHealthcare at 645, followed by Humana at 637.
Ohio’s highest rating went to Aetna Medicare with 639. Pennsylvania’s UPMC For Life secured a fourth consecutive lead at 689, while Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield placed second at 659.
In Tennessee, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee topped the chart with 690 points, and Humana was second at 647. Texas saw Humana lead with 641, UnitedHealthcare at 628 and Aetna Medicare at 624.
Emerging Trends in Plan Visibility
A separate 5WPR report on senior use of AI for plan selection found UnitedHealthcare first in online visibility, with Humana second and Kaiser Permanente third, despite its narrower geographic reach.
“There is a completely new way of searching that happens today,” said Ronn Torossian, founder and chairman of 5WPR. “We believe up to 50 % of searches are now taking place in various search engines.”
The JD Power study, now in its 12th year, surveyed 14,559 Medicare Advantage members across 12 regions between January and June, evaluating eight factors such as trust, ease of doing business, and digital channel effectiveness.
