The news that Medicare Advantage enrollment has grown to more than 30 million Americans is cause to celebrate. Just 10 years ago, the program had 13 million enrollees. Now, nearly 50% of all Americans eligible have access to the affordable, high-quality health care coverage it provides.
Medicare Advantage enrollment is growing because it is a health care success story. It is a good example of the government and free market working together to deliver lower costs, more choices, and better care to members than original Medicare alone.
And, not surprisingly, it also receives strong praise from enrollees. Ninety-four percent of senior voters who choose Medicare Advantage say they are satisfied with their health care coverage, 93% say they would recommend Medicare Advantage to friends and family, and 9-in-10 say they are satisfied with their preventive services, like screenings, vaccines, and testing.
Medicare Advantage Is a Good Deal for Members and Taxpayers
Competition in Medicare Advantage helps drive greater quality and value for the millions of Americans the program serves. AHIP found that, on an apples-to-apples basis, average Medicare Advantage spending was actually about 7% lower than original Medicare.
The projected average monthly Medicare Advantage premium for 2023 is $18, and 98% of Medicare-eligible Americans have access to a zero-premium Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.
Medicare Advantage Delivers Access to High-Quality Care
Research shows that Medicare Advantage coverage options are better at identifying and treating chronic disease early, which keeps seniors and Americans with disabilities healthy and prevents unnecessary trips to the hospital. And Medicare Advantage outperforms original Medicare on 16 out of 16 different clinical quality measures.
It also has a strong track record for offering more choices. Nearly 98% of Medicare Advantage-eligible Americans will have a choice from among at least 10 plans in their county in 2023 – up from both 2021 and 2022.
Medicare Advantage Is Stronger Than Ever
Thirty million Medicare Advantage members is a big deal, but what does 30 million really look like? Here are a few ways to think about 30 million that help contextualize this milestone and demonstrate the immense impact of Medicare Advantage in our health care system.
- 30 million is the number of seconds from January 1 to December 15.
- 30 million is just a little more than the number of minutes since the 1969 moon landing.
- Driving 30 million miles would take you 57 years (at a speed of 60 mph).
- 30 million is 5 million more people than watched the 2022 election coverage.
- 30 million is nearly 3 times the population of Greece or Portugal.
- 30 million is 3 million more than watched the series finale of The Golden Girls.
- 30 million is roughly the number of penguins on Earth.
- It would only take about 25,344,000 people holding hands to circle the globe. You’d have 4.6 million people to spare.
Medicare Advantage is a prime example of working together to deliver lower costs, more choices, and better outcomes for the American people.