After the Bid: What Comes Next for Medicare Advantage Plans in 2026?
- Roshan Desai
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
The June 2nd initial bid submission deadline for 2026 has passed, and Medicare Advantage plans were faced with a series of complex strategic decisions.
Would the focus be on growth in 2026, or a shift toward margin improvement?
The full impact of the major Part D changes implemented in 2025 is still unfolding. Plans that maintained $0 deductibles and cost-shares for brand drugs—while many national carriers moved toward deductibles and coinsurance—are now reconsidering whether to hold that line or make changes for 2026.
Another major wildcard: the wide range in NAMBA (National Average Monthly Bid Amount) estimates. Did plans take a conservative stance or lean aggressively into risk?
For D-SNPs, the sunsetting of VBID added more complexity. How much were plans willing to invest in $0 tiers to reduce disruption and maintain member satisfaction?
And for C-SNPs, 2026 presented a key opportunity to refine benefit design and clinical alignment in response to shifting risk profiles and increasing regulatory scrutiny.
Now is the time to look ahead to 2027—and begin building more targeted, sustainable models that align care delivery, risk adjustment, and quality performance from the ground up.
While CMS did offer a meaningful benchmark increase for 2026, ongoing pressures from rising medical loss ratios (MLRs) and years of limited increases may have pushed many plans toward a margin preservation strategy over aggressive growth.
Yes, 2026 may still bring some residual disruption, but it’s unlikely to match the chaos and recalibration that defined 2025.
Whether your strategy was to stabilize or scale, the work is far from over.
Now is the time to revisit your assumptions and prepare for what’s next—including potential RADV audit exposure tied to the 2026 benefit year.
At Rebellis Group, we help plans assess their 2026 positioning and prepare for what’s ahead—from bid strategy reviews and margin modeling to C-SNP and D-SNP recalibration, Part D optimization, and audit preparedness.
Let’s talk about how we can support your next move. Reach out to Roshan Desai, VP of Product & Financial Strategy, at rdesai@rebellisgroup.com or click the button below.