UnitedHealth in Iowa: 55,635 Medicare Advantage members, 24.7% share, 2nd of 13.
UnitedHealth Group, Inc., shown as UnitedHealth, lost 34,839 members (−38.5%) from Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 and stepped −35.5% at the 2026 election period against the market's −1.9%. It sells in 90 of Iowa’s 99 counties with visible members and leads 15; Aetna (CVS) sits just ahead at 34.4%, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Ins. Co. just behind at 14.6%.
UnitedHealth's twelve months in Iowa
Visible members each month, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. The December-to-January step is the election period. The market line for the state is on the Iowa page.
Where UnitedHealth's Iowa members are
The carrier’s five largest counties by visible members, with its share of each county’s visible Medicare Advantage members. It sells in 90 counties and leads 15 of them.
| County | UnitedHealth members | Share of county | County visible members | County leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | 13,602 | 36.1% | 37,690 | UnitedHealth |
| Pottawattamie | 3,921 | 42.7% | 9,190 | UnitedHealth |
| Scott | 3,465 | 22.2% | 15,613 | Aetna (CVS) |
| Linn | 3,150 | 14.4% | 21,893 | Aetna (CVS) |
| Black Hawk | 3,145 | 29.6% | 10,632 | Aetna (CVS) |
UnitedHealth against the Iowa market
The carrier’s figures beside the state’s, each weighted by members. A difference is a difference, not a grade: a higher maximum or a lower rating is a design and a result, read in context.
top three hold 73.7%
market 3.81, −0.08, 3rd of 5 rated
market 90%, −20 points
market $5,900, +$3,950
| # | Carrier | Members | Share | Twelve months | Election step | Counties led | Rating | $0 premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aetna (CVS) | 77,670 | 34.4% | +24.5% | +17.4% | 60 of 92 | 4.00 | 95% |
| 2 | UnitedHealth | 55,635 | 24.7% | −38.5% | −35.5% | 15 of 90 | 3.73 | 70% |
| 3 | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Ins. Co. | 33,015 | 14.6% | −1.9% | −5.2% | 14 of 82 | – | – |
| 4 | Humana | 32,310 | 14.3% | +42.5% | +30.6% | 6 of 94 | 4.15 | 100% |
| 5 | Centene | 12,294 | 5.5% | +250.2% | +252.3% | 0 of 71 | 2.50 | 100% |
| 6 | Trinity Health Corporation | 7,804 | 3.5% | +123.5% | +112.0% | 3 of 39 | 3.24 | 99% |
What 2027 does to UnitedHealth's plans in Iowa
The fate assigned to each of the carrier’s plans for 2027, joined to the members in it today.
7,013 members are in 1 plan that end and must choose again. 3,926 members are in 4 plans that drop at least one county; which counties is not stated. In all, 20% of UnitedHealth’s Iowa members are in a plan whose service area or status changes.
The read on UnitedHealth in Iowa is in Carrier Command.
Risk and rebate against the market, the five-test read on coding versus selection, Stars levers and next year's cut points, the election-period forecast and the county-by-county standing, written as a monthly page.
UnitedHealth elsewhere, and the rest of Iowa
How these numbers are made
- Members are visible members: CMS suppresses any plan-county cell of ten or fewer, so small counties undercount. Market share excludes employer group plans.
- Enrollment is Oct 2026; the twelve months run Nov 2025 to Oct 2026; the election step compares December 2025 with January 2026.
- UnitedHealth is the parent organization UnitedHealth Group, Inc.; its 10 plans in Iowa may sell under other brand names. The rating is the 2027 overall Star Rating of its contracts weighted by members in Iowa; $0 premium and the in-network maximum are the 2027 filings weighted by members today.
- Plan fates are the ones assigned for contract year 2027.
- Every figure comes from public CMS data as Livmor reads it, and the page is rebuilt when a new month posts. Livmor Carrier Command, public CMS data.