David J. Meyers, PhD, MPH; Amal N. Trivedi, MD, MS
Introduction
In Medicare Advantage (MA), private insurers receive capitated payments to cover enrollees’ health care needs. Enrollment in MA doubled from 2011 to 2020, with 42% of Medicare beneficiaries (>26 million people) enrolled in MA plans in 2021. Recent growth has been greater for Black and Hispanic beneficiaries and those with low income compared with White beneficiaries and those with higher income.
Understanding the source of new enrollment in MA growth may help project future program enrollment and development. From 2006 to 2011, the primary source of new enrollees in MA was those who switched from traditional Medicare (TM) rather than newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to understand trends in enrollment growth from 2012 to 2019 and characteristics of individuals who newly enrolled in MA or switched from TM.