A Snapshot of Sources of Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries
This analysis documents the different sources of coverage among people with Medicare and examines variation in beneficiary characteristics by source of coverage.
View the Latest: Medicare Advantage
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What to Know About the Medicare Open Enrollment Period and Medicare Coverage Options
Issue BriefEach year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.
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Medicare Advantage Has Become More Popular Among the Shrinking Share of Employers That Offer Retiree Health Benefits
Issue BriefThis analysis examines the extent to which large private and non-federal public employers that offer retiree health benefits are turning to Medicare Advantage and why they are making this shift, using data from the 2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey. We find that slightly more than half (56%) of large employers offering retiree health benefits to Medicare-age retirees offer coverage to at least some retirees through a contract with a Medicare Advantage plan, more than double…
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Drilling Down on Dental Coverage and Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries
Issue BriefMedicare does not cover routine dental care and the majority of Medicare beneficiaries do not have dental coverage. Some beneficiaries have dental coverage through other sources, including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and private plans, but almost half of all beneficiaries have not been to the dentist in the past year and many older adults face high out-of-pocket costs for needed dental care. The brief reviews the state of oral health for people on Medicare, describing the…
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Medicare Part D Premiums Are Increasing for Many But Not All Stand-Alone Plans in 2025, Reflecting Effects of New Premium Stabilization Demonstration
Policy WatchThis policy watch examines monthly premiums for Medicare Part D stand-alone drug plans in 2025, as changes to the Part D benefit are being implemented in 2025, including a new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug spending.
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Key Facts About Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2025
Issue BriefThe Medicare Part D program provides an outpatient prescription drug benefit to more than 50 million 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. This brief analyzes Medicare Part D enrollment and costs in 2025 and trends over time, based on data from the…
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2025 Medicare Advantage Plan Choices are Stable, Following Years of Steady Growth
Policy WatchA review of the 2025 Medicare Advantage plans available for individual enrollment shows that the total number of plans declined by 7% (from 3,959 to 3,699). The average Medicare beneficiary will have the option of 34 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA-PD) plans in 2025, just 2 fewer than the 36 options available in 2024. Since 2018, the number of plans available to the average beneficiary has doubled.
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Medicare Advantage Insurers Will See Higher Payments as CMS Backs Off a Key Payment Update
Quick InsightsThe Trump administration this week backed off a key element of its Medicare Advantage rate proposal, resulting in billions of dollars in additional payments to private insurers.
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Is Medicare’s New Provider Search Tool a Step in the Right Direction?
Quick InsightsThe new provider search tool on the Medicare Plan Finder could make it easier for beneficiaries to figure out if their doctors are in a Medicare Advantage plan's network despite some data issues.
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Insurers’ Prior Authorization Data Offers Little Insight Into What Gets Approved or Denied
Quick InsightsCertain insurers must now publicly report specific prior authorization metrics, but the new data offer limited insight, providing no information on what types of services are being approved and denied or why as well as no data on prescription drugs.