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

Five Medicare Changes Coming in 2026

Knowing how Medicare is evolving and which benefits you can rely on will help you focus on whether Original Medicare or a particular Medicare Advantage plan will serve you best. Medical costs are going up every year and there are a number of factors at work; inflation and medical advancements, such as biosimilars, are helping to drive costs up.

According to Fidelity, a 65-year-old retiring in 2024 can expect to spend an average of $165,000 in health care and medical expenses throughout retirement. One way to manage your costs is by selecting the best Medicare policy for you.

While we are about five months away from Medicare open enrollment, the state of Medicare has been