In 2024, over half of Medicare enrollees received coverage through MedicareAdvantage (MA) plans (Freed et al 2024a). MA has grown rapidly in the past decade,from about a third of Medicare enrollment in 2015 to over half in 2024. The growth ofMA has important implications for the financial sustainability of the…

    DISCUSSION The ACA’s cuts to MA payments were expected to reduce the attractiveness of MA to both plans and beneficiaries, primarily through reductions in rebates, thereby decreasing enrollment in the MA plan program.7-9 Instead, MA enrollment steadily increased as the ACA was implemented. Prior research indicates that MA plans…

Medicare Advantage (MA), also known as Medicare Part C, gives Medicare beneficiaries an option to receive their Parts A and B benefits through private health insurance plans as an alternative to traditional Medicare. MA has been attractive to many Medicare beneficiaries in part because of several enhancements plans typically make…

In contrast to commercial markets, narrow networks in Medicare Advantage (MA) markets are not motivated by unit-price discounts for insurers in exchange for higher patient volume for health systems. Through 15 interviews with MA experts, MA insurers, and health systems, we confirmed that the Medicare fee schedule is the basis…