Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Programs Expected to Remain Stable in 2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing that average premiums, benefits, and plan choices for Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Medicare Part D prescription drug program are expected to remain stable in 2026. Average premiums are projected to decline in both the MA and Part D programs from 2025 to 2026. CMS is committed to ensuring these programs work for Medicare beneficiaries while maintaining access to high-quality, affordable healthcare options, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and making sure beneficiaries have the information they need to make informed choices about what is best for them.

CMS releases this key information, including 2026 premiums, benefits, and access to plan options for MA and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, ahead of the

5 Timely Ideas To Improve Medicare Advantage

In April, Dr. Mehmet Oz became Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). While his appointment generated a buzz, it is the work ahead that truly matters, especially when it comes to Medicare Advantage (MA), the program that provides care to about 33 million people, or 54 percent of the Medicare population.

Though MA is poised to provide the best outcomes for the most Americans, the program is also ripe for reform, and there are several critical areas Oz could focus on to drive meaningful improvement.

Here are five:

1. Pilot Multiyear Enrollment in Plans. MA plans looking to make investments in prevention and effective treatment face a conundrum: people under our care drop out of our plans on

Understanding why older Americans switch Medicare Advantage plans

More than half of older Americans now get their Medicare coverage through an insurance company’s Medicare Advantage plan. But many go on to switch plans or even leave for traditional Medicare when Open Enrollment comes around each autumn.

Researchers have had a hard time getting access to data that could help them understand what drives these changes, which have major implications for federal spending on Medicare as well as individuals’ health.

Now, a new study in the June issue of Health Affairs peels back the curtain on what motivates people to switch MA plans or leave MA altogether.

The inability to access the care they needed, and dissatisfaction with the quality of the care they received, had much more to do with switching to another