The Most Competitive Medicare AEP Battle Ever is Coming This Fall

The recent news of a 5.06% increase in payment rates for 2026 means this year’s Medicare Advantage AEP is going to be a fierce battle for new members. It’s not just the increased profitability turbocharging the competitive landscape, it’s also that, for the first time, more than half of the country’s Medicare population is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.

With nearly 11,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the need for effective Medicare marketing strategies is more critical than ever, and notably, for-profit carriers like United, Humana, and Aetna accounted for 86% of enrollments of the total market’s growth last year.

The market is also saturated. The average number of plan options has increased by 80% by county since 2019. In short, seniors have dozens of options in a flooded market, and the major players are situated for success.

How can your Medicare marketing influence decision-making in Seniors?

Enter the challenges of AEP: AEP is a short, 53-day window when Medicare Advantage plans compete for enrollees. Plans need to stand out and engage potential members across the funnel.

Understand the funnel: 

Effective Medicare marketing approaches upper funnel and lower funnel tactics with equal consideration.

• Upper-funnel channels create interest, and lower-funnel channels provide details and encourage action.
• Upper-funnel channels drive traffic, and lower-funnel channels re-engage those visitors and generate leads.
• Align messaging across the funnels for a cohesive experience for your prospective consumers.

Why Upper Funnel Matters:

• Build awareness of your brand among Medicare-eligible prospects year-round, not just during AEP.
• Consistent exposure builds brand recognition, making your plan memorable during the hectic sprint of AEP when Seniors are bombarded with messaging from competitive plans.
• Entering the market during AEP without having done this legwork is like entering the race without stretching; your competitors have a head start.

Why Lower Funnel Matters:

• After creating awareness, re-targeting keeps your plan top-of-mind for Seniors.
• In-platform lead generation, particularly within walled gardens like Meta and Google, offers a streamlined way to stock your sales team with qualified leads.

Success with Medicare marketing requires a holistic, integrated  approach across all channels. Engage with Adcom for a detailed case study about how we drove record enrollments during AEP multiple years in a row.