Press ReleasesBLOG POST: Report highlights progress, opportunity for continued improvement in MA market

Medicare Advantage enrollees now make up 42% of the total Medicare population, and enrollment in MA plans has more than doubled during the past decade, a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found.¹

According to the analysis, MA enrollees this year comprise more than 26 million of the country’s approximately 63 million Medicare beneficiaries.¹ They also account for 46%, or $343 billion, of total federal net premium Medicare spending.²

Enrollment fluctuates considerably among states and counties within states. Nationwide, nearly 3 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries reside in counties where at least 50% of all enrollees are signed up for MA plans.¹

Also among the findings:

• 94% of enrollees in MA plans have coverage of telehealth services, and a vast majority also have access to other services, such as dental, eye and hearing care
• 90% of MA members are enrolled in plans that include prescription drug coverage
• 80% of MA enrollees are in plans that have at least a 4 on Star Ratings in 2021, up 4 percentage points from last year
• 65% of MA enrollees don’t pay a premium besides the monthly Medicare Part B premium.^1,3

A second KFF analysis identified opportunities for continued improvement in the MA program. The report found that 19% of all MA enrollees experienced cost-related issues in 2018.⁴ Further, in the same time period, 50% of Black MA enrollees who self-identified as in fair or poor health reported cost-related issues.⁴ Thirty-five percent of white MA enrollees who also self-reported as being in fair or poor health experienced cost-related issues.⁴

Also among the findings:

• 47% of MA enrollees younger than 65 and eligible for Medicare due to long-term disability reported cost-related issues in 2018, and that number was slightly higher among Black MA beneficiaries, at 49%
• More Black beneficiaries had cost-related issues than white beneficiaries across traditional MA and Medicare rolls
• About a fifth of Hispanic enrollees had cost-related issues with MA plans, Medicare, and Medicare with supplemental coverage.⁴

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References

1. Although Their Share of the Market Varies by State, Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Plans Has More Than Doubled Over the Past Decade, with More than 4 in 10 Medicare Beneficiaries Now Enrolled in the Private Plans. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 21, 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.kff.org/medicare/press-release/although-their-share-of-the-market-varies-by-state-enrollment-in-medicare-advantage-plans-has-more-than-doubled-over-the-past-decade-with-more-than-4-in-10-medicare-beneficiaries-now-enrolled-in-the/
2. Freed, Meredith, et al. Medicare Advantage in 2021: Enrollment Update and Key Trends. June 21, 2021. Kaiser Family Foundation. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-advantage-in-2021-enrollment-update-and-key-trends/
3. Fuglesten Biniek, Jeannie, et al. Medicare Advantage in 2021: Star Ratings and Bonuses. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 21, 2021. Accessed June 30, 2021. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-advantage-in-2021-star-ratings-and-bonuses/
4. Fuglesten Biniek, Jeannie, et al. Cost-related Problems Are Less Common Among Beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare Than in Medicare Advantage, Mainly Due to Supplemental Coverage. Kaiser Family Foundation. June 25. 2021. Accessed June 29, 2021. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/cost-related-problems-are-less-common-among-beneficiaries-in-traditional-medicare-than-in-medicare-advantage-mainly-due-to-supplemental-coverage/