Elevance Health

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia denied Elevance Health's motion for a preliminary injunction over its Medicare Advantage star ratings. The court also denied the government's motion to dismiss the case.

Elevance Health sued the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over the recalculation of Medicare Advantage quality ratings. Elevance Health alleged that the recalculation did not align with the Clover Health ruling and affected $115 million in payments.

Elevance Health sent a $342.2 million wire payment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in connection with a Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment enforcement matter. Court records reported that the wire transfer occurred on May 27.

A Healthcare Dive analysis of CMS enrollment files showed 35.5 million people in Medicare Advantage in February 2026 versus 34.4 million a year earlier, growth of about 3 percent against a historical pace of up to 10 percent. UnitedHealthcare fell to just under 9.4 million from 10.3 million before open enrollment; Elevance, Centene and CVS lost 14, 4 and 3 percent of members; Humana was the big gainer.

CMS posted the 2026 star ratings on the Plan Finder on October 9, 2025. About 207 MA-PD contracts, 40 percent, earned four or more stars, and the enrollment-weighted average rating edged up to 3.98 from 3.95. The ratings set the 2027 quality bonus payments that feed into the 2027 rate announcement.

As the 2026 plan files went public, UnitedHealthcare confirmed it would leave Medicare Advantage entirely in 16 markets, affecting about 180,000 members, and offer plans in one fewer state and 109 fewer counties. Humana cut 194 counties and three states, and Aetna about 90 plans across 100 counties; Elevance added counties but left the standalone Part D market.