Medicare Member Experience Study
Available: October 30, 2026
Available: October 30, 2026
In this 2026 study, we help stakeholders understand the specific touchpoints that set up seniors to renew coverage—and those that motivate them to disenroll. We also examine how various experiences are associated with higher and lower CAHPS scores, as well as advise carriers and agencies how to better engineer member communications and customer service for higher scores in future years. While this Experience study illuminates what product education consumers want leading up to and during the AEP, our Onboarding study (released in April) shows how carriers are doing and what they must address.
Record Declines and Switching in Medicare Plans Following 2025 ANOCs
Net Promoter Scores (NPS2) for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Supplement (MedSupp) plans dropped sharply in 2025—by 9 and 10 points, the largest annual declines Deft Research has recorded. The 2025 Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) triggered this drop: 16% of non-SNP MA members switched plans voluntarily during AEP, and another 6% were forced to switch. Fewer than 60% of seniors remembered receiving their ANOC, and many misunderstood benefit changes, even after reviewing documents or speaking with agents. Most only realized changes when they used their coverage, resulting in unexpected costs or gaps.
This confusion drove a record 15% switching rate during OEP, and by the 2026 AEP, 21% of MA seniors were dissatisfied and considering switching — marking three consecutive records for MA switching in under a year, all from a single disruptive AEP.
