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  • A Study of Medicare Advantage Plan Networks in 20 Counties Finds That Plans Include About Half of All Hospitals in Their Area 

    News Release

    A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of private Medicare plan networks finds that Medicare Advantage plans include about  half of area hospitals in their network, on average, while one in five plans have no  Academic Medical Center in-network.  Among plans in an area with a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, more than two in five did not include the cancer center in their network. The new study of the hospital networks of Medicare Advantage plans, which…

  • Medicare Advantage Has Become More Popular Among the Shrinking Share of Employers That Offer Retiree Health Benefits

    Issue Brief

    This 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…

  • Data Note: Medicare Advantage Enrollment, by Firm, 2015

    Issue Brief

    A number of potential mergers and acquisitions between large firms that offer health insurance have been reported in the press. These mergers could affect consumers in the individual market, enrollees in the new federal and state Marketplaces, employees with employer-sponsored insurance, as well as people covered by public programs such as Medicare. This Data Note examines the Medicare Advantage market share of large firms that have reportedly engaged in merger and acquisition discussions: Aetna, Anthem,…

  • Medicare Advantage 2019 Spotlight: First Look

    Issue Brief

    In 2019, more than 20 million Medicare beneficiaries (34%) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are mainly HMOs and PPOs offered by private insurers as an alternative to the traditional Medicare program. This issue brief provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage plans that will be available in 2019, including the variation in the number of plans available by county and plan type. The brief also examines the insurers entering the Medicare Advantage market…

  • People on Medicare Will Be Able to Choose Among 24 Medicare Advantage Plans and 27 Medicare Part D Drug Plans, on Average, During the Open Enrollment Period for 2019, New Analyses Find

    News Release

    With Medicare Advantage playing an increasingly larger role in Medicare, the average person on Medicare will be able to choose among 24 plans during the annual Medicare open enrollment period that began Oct. 15, finds a new analysis from KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation). The new analysis, Medicare Advantage Plans in 2019: First Look, finds that: Nationally, 2,734 Medicare Advantage plans for general enrollment will be offered in 2019 -- more than in any year…

  • Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage Plans: How Often Is It Used?

    Issue Brief

    Medicare Advantage enrollees are encouraged to select their plan based on a number of factors, including premiums, cost-sharing, extra benefits, drug coverage, quality of care, and provider networks, but a potentially overlooked factor is access to covered services and the potential impact of prior authorization requirements. In this data note, we examine the share of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are in plans requiring prior authorization and approval before covering the costs of services.

  • Do People Who Sign Up for Medicare Advantage Plans Have Lower Medicare Spending?

    Issue Brief

    The analysis finds that people who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage in 2016 had health spending in 2015 that was $1,253 less, on average, than the average spending for beneficiaries who remained in traditional Medicare (after adjusting for health risk). The findings suggest that the current payment method may systematically overestimate expected costs of Medicare Advantage enrollees. Adjusting payments to reflect Medicare Advantage enrollees’ prior use of health services could potentially lower total…

  • Drilling Down on Dental Coverage and Costs for Medicare Beneficiaries

    Issue Brief

    Medicare 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…