Medicare

New & Noteworthy

Medicare
Higher and Faster Growing Spending Per Medicare Advantage Enrollee Adds to Medicare’s Solvency and Affordability Challenges
This analysis finds that Medicare spending for Medicare Advantage enrollees was $321 higher per person in 2019 than if enrollees had instead been coverage by traditional Medicare, leading to an estimated $7 billion in additional spending in 2019. It also examines the implications of expected growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment and payments per enrollee from 2021 to 2029.
Trust FUnd
FAQs on Medicare Financing and Trust Fund Solvency
The Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2026. The projected deficit amounts to $517 billion between 2026 and 2031. Our FAQs answer key questions about Medicare financing and trust fund solvency. In the 30 years prior to 2021, the trust fund has come within five years of depletion only twice – in 1996 and 1997. To date, Congress has never allowed the trust fund to be fully depleted.
Health Reform
Policy Options to Make Medicare More Affordable For Beneficiaries
Medicare covers more than 60 million Americans, but gaps in coverage and high cost-sharing requirements can make health care difficult to afford. We examined policy options to make Medicare more affordable, including the likely cost & how many people would be helped.
Affordability
Cost-Related Problems Are Higher Among Privately-Insured Adults 50 to 64 than Medicare-Covered Adults 65 and Older
A somewhat larger share of privately-insured adults ages 50 to 64 (16%) than Medicare-covered adults ages 65+ (11%) report having cost-related problems, defined as delaying or forgoing medical care due to costs or having problems paying medical bills.

Medicare advantage statistics

Latest Polling

42%

of all Medicare beneficiaries (26 million people) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2021. (2021 enrollment update)

65%

of enrollees in Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans pay no additional premium in 2021 (2021 Premiums, Cost Sharing, Out-of-Pocket Limits and Supplemental Benefits)

29%

of all Medicare beneficiaries live in a county where more than half of Medicare beneficiaries in that county are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans (2021 Enrollment Update)

81%

of Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans that receive bonuses based primarily on quality ratings, at a cost of $11.6 billion in 2021 (Star Ratings and Bonuses)

medicare advantage resources

The Essentials

Basics
An Overview of Medicare Coverage
Medicare plays a key role in providing health care and financial security to more than 60 million older people and younger people with disabilities.
Supplemental Coverage
A Snapshot of Sources of Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries in 2018
This data note explores sources of coverage among beneficiaries in Medicare and the demographic characteristics of people with different types of coverage, based on data from the 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.
Disparities
Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities and Medicare
This chart collection examines the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of the Medicare population by race and ethnicity. It includes data to describe demographics, health status and disease prevalence, health coverage, access to care and service utilization, and health outcomes, including data pertaining to disparities related to COVID-19.
medicare part d
Key Facts About Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2021
The Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to older adults and people with long-term disabilities in Medicare who enroll in private plans, including stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) to supplement traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PDs) that include drug coverage and other Medicare-covered benefits.
quiz
How Much Do You Know About Medicare?
Take this quiz to find out how much you know about Medicare, the people it serves, the benefits it covers, and its financial status.