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Kaiser tops U.S. News' best Medicare Advantage list. Kaiser Permanente leads the 2027 list of best Medicare Advantage companies from U.S. News & World Report, with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna and Devoted Health round out the top tier, each rated 3.8, according to the ratings published Oct. 14. The ratings matter because they arrive at the start of Medicare's annual open enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, when beneficiaries compare plans. They also offer a second, independently weighted view of insurer quality alongside CMS's Star Ratings released earlier in October. The best Medicare Advantage companies for 2027. U.S. News named five companies as best overall for Medicare Advantage: * Kaiser Permanente: 4.4 * UnitedHealthcare: 3.8 * Humana: 3.8 * Aetna: 3.8 * Devoted Health: 3.8 Three of the five, Aetna, Devoted Health and UnitedHealth Group, were also named best Medicare Advantage companies in the 2026 edition, according to U.S. News' 2026 announcement. Kaiser Permanente and Humana are new to the top list for 2027. U.S. News also recognized top companies in three consumer-focused categories: highest satisfaction, screening and prevention, and care continuity. How U.S. News rated insurers. U.S. News rates Medicare Advantage contracts on a five-point scale, assigning its own weights to more than 30 quality measures published by CMS. Those weights do not necessarily match the ones CMS uses for Star Ratings. U.S. News then calculates an enrollment-adjusted average rating for each company. To be named among the best, a company needed an overall rating of at least 3.8 after rounding and had to serve at least 1,000 beneficiaries as of December 2025 in each of 10 or more states or territories where it still offers coverage for 2027. The ratings covered both standalone Medicare Advantage contracts and those that include Part D drug coverage. Part D leaders unchanged. For standalone prescription drug coverage, the same two companies earned best overall recognition in both 2026 and 2027. Humana scored 3.8 and Centene scored 3.5 for 2027, according to U.S. News. To qualify as a top Part D company, an insurer needed at least 1,000 Part D beneficiaries in each of at least 10 jurisdictions where it still offers 2027 coverage, and an enrollment-weighted average rating of at least 3.5 after rounding. How the ratings compare with CMS stars. The U.S. News results broadly track this year's CMS Star Ratings, which showed Humana rebounding sharply, with 95 percent of its Medicare Advantage members in plans rated 4 stars or higher, up from about 20 percent. Aetna and UnitedHealthcare saw their share of members in 4-star-or-better plans decline, though both still met U.S. News' threshold. Because U.S. News applies its own weighting and requires a presence in at least 10 states, its list highlights larger multistate carriers. Strong regional plans may appear instead in U.S. News' state-by-state rankings. Those state-level ratings recognize a wider field. In the 2026 edition, fewer than one-third of Medicare Advantage insurers nationwide earned a best insurance company designation in at least one state, according to Geisinger Health Plan, which was named a best company in Pennsylvania that year. Regional and provider-owned plans such as Geisinger's often compete closely with national carriers in their home markets even when they fall short of the 10-state requirement for the national list, giving beneficiaries more top-rated options to compare locally. What it means for beneficiaries and plans. For beneficiaries, the ratings are one input among several. Plan networks, drug formularies, premiums and out-of-pocket costs vary widely by county, and a highly rated company may not offer the best plan in a given area. For insurers, appearing among the best Medicare Advantage companies can be a marketing advantage during open enrollment. Unlike CMS Star Ratings, the U.S. News ratings do not affect federal quality bonus payments, but they shape how consumers and brokers view plan quality as enrollment decisions are made.

Texas launches UnitedHealth Group investigation over denials. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a UnitedHealth Group investigation into allegations that the company used deceptive and unlawful practices that denied Texans medically necessary care, according to his office's Oct. 5 announcement. The office said it has issued Civil Investigative Demands to the company. The probe adds state-level legal exposure for the country's largest health insurer at a time when it is replacing several senior executives. For providers, the inquiry centers on issues they deal with directly: coverage decisions, authorization practices and the role of insurers in care decisions. [TABLE OF CONTENTS] What the UnitedHealth Group investigation covers. Paxton's office said the demands seek evidence of potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other state laws. The investigation follows reports about how the company administers health benefits and makes coverage decisions, according to the announcement. Among the allegations the office cited are reports that the company gave nursing homes financial incentives to avoid or delay transferring patients to hospitals. The office is also examining whether the company's practices could amount to the unlawful corporate practice of medicine, KLBJ-AM in Austin reported. "Alarming reports keep piling up about how United treats Texas consumers," Paxton said in a statement. Paxton is also a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. The allegations have not been proven, and the investigation does not establish that the company violated the law. UnitedHealth told Austin television station KXAN it did not have a response to share. Related Texas probe and pending litigation. The inquiry is the second Paxton has announced against a major insurer in recent weeks. His office earlier opened an investigation into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and its parent, Health Care Service Corp., over procedures for denying and delaying urgent and medically necessary care and over prior authorization requirements, according to the attorney general's news releases. UnitedHealthcare also faces new private litigation. A proposed class action filed Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut alleges the insurer's copay accumulator policy unlawfully stopped crediting drug manufacturer assistance toward a member's deductible and out-of-pocket limit, according to the complaint. Leadership changes at the insurer. The investigation arrives after a series of executive moves at the company in September, most of them announced by the executives on LinkedIn: * Bobby Hunter, previously CEO of government programs at UnitedHealthcare, became president of UnitedHealthcare, he said Sept. 28. * Dan Kueter, who led UnitedHealthcare's commercial business, became chief commercial officer of UnitedHealth Group. * Brandon Cuevas returned from Kaiser Permanente after three years to become CEO of UnitedHealthcare's commercial business, he said Sept. 22. * Jodee Kozlak was named the company's first chief administrative officer, effective Sept. 28, according to published reports. Hunter wrote that he will focus on accelerating the insurer's "modernization agenda" to make health care more connected and easier to navigate. Tim Noel remains CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the company told Reuters, according to Healthcare Brew. The appointments draw largely on company veterans. Hunter joined UnitedHealth Group in 2011 and held a series of Medicare roles before leading government programs, according to published reports. Cuevas spent 14 years at UnitedHealthcare before leaving for Kaiser Permanente, where he was executive vice president for its national health plan. Kueter wrote on LinkedIn that his new role involves working across UnitedHealthcare and Optum to coordinate product development and innovation. What comes next. Civil Investigative Demands are an evidence-gathering step, and the attorney general's office has not announced a lawsuit or a timeline. The company's response to the demands, and any findings from the parallel inquiry into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, will indicate how far the state intends to take its review of insurer coverage practices. The outcome of the UnitedHealth Group investigation will fall to a leadership team that has been in place for only a few weeks.

Washington Permanente Medical Group has appointed Taejoon Ahn, MD, MPH, as its new CEO and executive medical director, effective 30 September. Dr Ahn will lead the multispeciality medical group, which comprises over 1,200 clinicians caring for more than 550,000 Kaiser Permanente members across Washington state. Dr Ahn brings over 15 years of physician executive experience. He most recently served for 12 years as president of John Muir Medical Group. He succeeds Dorian Reid, MD, who served in an interim capacity since September 2025. WPMG is the independent, physician-owned medical group that provides care exclusively for Kaiser Permanente members in Washington. Dr Ahn will partner with regional president Cynthia Dold to continue delivering integrated care across the state.