The average monthly plan premium for Medicare Advantage is expected to increase only slightly in 2024 from 2023, CMS said. About 73% of beneficiaries will see no increase at all.

A new study found that MA beneficiaries have more than 50% fewer inpatient stays and 22% fewer emergency department visits than traditional Medicare enrollees.

There are concerns that Medicare Advantage TV ads are misleading patients. A new KFF analysis of Medicare Advantage TV ads found that the ads often rely on celebrity endorsements and suggest that seniors are missing out on benefits that they’re entitled to.

For the past 30 years, even with the various headwinds over time, consistent winners in MA have adapted and adjusted to new standards required for success. Now is no different. Short-term headwinds are just that – short-term.

Bold, a Los Angeles-based company offering a healthy aging platform for older adults, closed a $17 million Series A funding round. The startup seeks to improve the health of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries through personalized exercise programs designed to prevent falls, decrease musculoskeletal pain and boost physical activity levels.

In rural areas, the share of eligible beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans nearly quadrupled from 11% in 2010 to 40% in 2023, according to new research from KFF. This represents 400,000 rural MA beneficiaries in 2010 and 1.8 million in 2023.

A new survey from Alignment Health found that economic instability, food insecurity, lack of support and transportation access are the biggest social barriers for seniors.

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with a cancer diagnosis spend $3,996 on out-of-pocket costs and premiums annually, versus $6,091 for traditional Medicare beneficiaries with cancer, a new report found.

After five years of enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, 48.3% of non-dually enrolled beneficiaries left their contract and 53.4% of dually enrolled beneficiaries did, a new study found.

A new study found that between 16.2% and 17.7% of Medicare Advantage enrollees reported using post-acute care services, compared to 22.4% to 24.1% of traditional Medicare enrollees.

Some of the highest-ranked Medicare Advantage plans are SCAN Health Plan, Humana, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, UPMC for Life and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, according to a new J.D. Power report.

Only 44% of Medicare Advantage enrollees said they “fully understand” their plan, while 50% said they “somewhat understand” it and 6% said they don’t understand it, according to a recent survey.

About 27% of Medicare Advantage enrollees are Black, Latino or Asian, versus 17% of traditional Medicare enrollees, according to a report conducted by ATI Advisory and commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance.

The average income of a traditional Medicare enrollee is $85,085, versus $76,720 for a Medicare Advantage enrollee, according to a whitepaper done in partnership between Harvard Medical School and software solutions company Inovalon.

A Humana study in Health Affairs found that 80% of dual-eligible beneficiaries had at least one health-related social need in 2019, compared to 48% of non-dual-eligible enrollees. While prevalence was higher in dual-eligible enrollees, non-dual-eligible enrollees shouldn’t be overlooked, researchers said.

A Health Affairs study discovered that nearly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage psychiatrist networks, or 64.6%, were narrow in 2019. Comparatively, about 43.1% of Medicaid managed care networks were narrow and 39.5% of ACA Marketplaces were narrow.

In 2018, there were 41.5 high-risk medications per 1,000 beneficiaries for Medicare Advantage, compared to 56.9 high-risk medications per 1,000 beneficiaries for traditional Medicare, a new study found.

Author Health helps seniors with serious mental illness and substance use disorders by working with Medicare Advantage plans. The company launched Wednesday with $115 million in financing, and announced that Humana is its first payer partner.

A new KFF analysis showed that Medicare spending per person increased to $15,700 in 2022 from $5,800 in 2000, representing a 4.6% average annual growth.

Bright Health Group said last week it is “exploring strategic alternatives” for two Medicare Advantage plans in California: Brand New Day and Central Health Plan, which the insurtech purchased several years ago for $500 million. One expert said selling is necessary as the company faces bankruptcy.

Out of 59.82 million people with Medicare Part A and Part B in January 2023, 30.19 million people were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a recent analysis.

In 2023’s enrollment period, 84% of eHealth customers chose an MA plan with a $0 monthly premium, versus 87% in 2022, eHealth’s annual Medicare Index Report found. This is the first time popularity in $0 premium plans has decreased since eHealth started conducting the report in 2018, when 63% of customers selected a no-premium plan.

While the digital health sector might feel a little cramped in some areas, there are wide open spaces in others — and investors are ready to funnel money into companies looking to innovate these lesser-discussed aspects of care delivery and healthcare technology. Some of these areas include Medicaid, generative AI and patient-to-patient support.

Aledade — an independent primary care network focused on value-based care — struck a 10-year partnership with insurer Humana. Under the collaboration, Humana’s Medicare Advantage members will receive primary care from Aledade physicians using value-based arrangements.

In 2021, Medicare Advantage gross margins averaged $1,730, more than double other insurance markets, the Kaiser Family Foundation report found. The individual market’s gross margins averaged $745 per enrollee, group market’s gross margins averaged $689 per enrollee and Medicaid managed care’s gross margins averaged $768 per enrollee.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans increased by 5.5% this year, or by 1.5 million beneficiaries, according to The Chartis Group. But in 2020, 2021 and 2022, enrollment rose by 1.9 million, 2.2 million and 2.3 million, respectively.

There were more than 35 million prior authorization requests submitted to MA plans in 2021, and 2 million were denied, according to KFF. Of those denied, just 11% were appealed. However, most of those appeals led to the denial being overturned.

Wisdo, a social health platform that addresses loneliness and social isolation, teamed up with Humana to serve some of its Medicare Advantage members. A new study on Humana’s members found that 58% of participants reported lower rates of loneliness after three months of using Wisdo’s app.

Medicare Advantage patients with diabetes have higher prescription fill rates, fewer emergency department visits and lower total medical spending than traditional fee-for-service Medicare patients, a new report shows. They also received their diagnosis earlier.

By creating a marketplace that empowers consumers to choose the right health care coverage for their unique and individual needs, CMS will continue to put consumers first and strengthen Medicare Advantage, already the chosen program of America’s seniors.