Turning Trust Into Growth: How Regional and Local Medicare Advantage Brands Can Win

— Andrew Robinson | Partner

Medicare Advantage is facing a “trust” crisis. Members are fed up watching plans clash with hospital systems, seeing promised benefits disappear and drug costs spiral out of control. The warning signs are flashing! This erosion of trust is not just a symptom; it’s reshaping the entire Medicare Advantage landscape.

Plan-switching is now surging but not for the right reasons. Members aren’t chasing better options; they’re leaving out of frustration and loss of trust. And for the first time in years, Medicare Advantage growth has slowed sharply — down from 7-10% between 2016 and 2022 to about 4% in 2024-2025 — even as millions of baby boomers age into Medicare, once seen as a golden growth wave.

The erosion of trust has even fueled growth in Original Medicare, which added 200,000 beneficiaries in the past year after years of steady decline. This is a sharp reversal from the long-standing trend of members migrating to Medicare Advantage.

The message is clear: choosing a Medicare Advantage plan is no longer just rational, it’s emotional. Beneficiaries are no longer just comparing premiums or benefits, they are asking: Who can I trust? Who will stand by me?

Local and regional Medicare Advantage plans, the stage is set! Headlines about national carriers cutting provider access or raising costs reinforce a perception that the biggest brands prioritize scale and margins over people. You have a distinct opportunity to differentiate.

As trust becomes the deciding factor, your local and regional plan is uniquely positioned to lean into your community roots, emphasize personal relationships with local providers, and showcase a member-first philosophy that feels authentic and human. In a landscape defined by eroding trust, the ability to highlight local accountability and genuine connection is a competitive advantage national carriers cannot replicate.

At GKV Health, we help Medicare challenger brands uncover the heart of their story, the why behind what they do. And we share it in ways that truly resonate. We go deeper than plan benefits or product features, building emotionally driven brands that connect on a personal level. The result is trust, loyalty and long-term growth. It’s an approach that changes not just how people see your brand, but how they feel about it and ultimately, how they choose it. We’ve seen the results firsthand.

• Health Alliance – A values-driven campaign led to market expansion.
• Elderplan – A hyperlocal campaign highlighting deep community roots increased market share.
• Network Health – A member-first campaign delivered an increase in enrollments.
• Clover Health – A brand response campaign positioning Clover as a “different kind of Medicare company” drove a 27% YoY membership growth.

We don’t just build Medicare brands at GKV Health, we help them earn trust through design, strategy and delivery. Want to explore how these principles can help elevate your Medicare Advantage plan? Contact us today.