More Americans Choose Medicare Advantage Year Over Year

Source: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/MCRAdvPartDEnrolData/Monthly-Contract-and-Enrollment-Summary-Report

The number of Americans who choose Medicare Advantage increases steadily every year – a testament to the program’s overwhelming popularity and satisfaction among beneficiaries. Today, over 40% of all those eligible for Medicare nationwide choose Medicare Advantage.

Many states have especially high rates of Medicare Advantage enrollment including Arizona (42.7%), Georgia (43.1%), Michigan (45.9%), Pennsylvania (44.2%), and Wisconsin (42.3%) and states with large senior populations like California (43.6%), Florida (48.7%), and New York (43.5%). (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Integrated Data Repository (IDR), July 1, 2020)

Looking at the broad array of Americans covered by the program, Medicare Advantage covers more racially diverse populations (32%) than traditional Medicare (21%). Nearly half of all racial/ethnic minorities eligible for Medicare are covered by Medicare Advantage, and 56% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are women.

Medicare Advantage also covers millions of low-income Americans. 40% of Medicare Advantage enrollees make less than $25,000 per year*. About 9 million have income below 200% of the federal poverty level*. Many of these individuals might not be able to afford the out-of-pocket costs of traditional Medicare.

Medicare Advantage members tend to be older than those enrolled in traditional Medicare. 63% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are 70 or older, compared with 57% of traditional Medicare enrollees. Further, 24% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are between 65-69, compared with 29% of those enrolled in traditional Medicare.

Medicare Advantage has strong bipartisan support among policymakers. In 2020, a record 403 Members of Congress – nearly 8 in 10 – signed onto bipartisan letters in support of the program.

Medicare Advantage provides stable and affordable health care coverage, peace of mind, and additional benefits that allow Americans 65+ and the most vulnerable Americans with disabilities to stay healthy. That’s why more than 26 million Americans across the country choose the better services, better access to care, and better value of Medicare Advantage.

*Based on AHIP analysis of 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Public Use File.