During open enrollment season, seniors in most parts of the U.S. will have dozens of Medicare Advantage plans to choose from.
And while an increasing number of Medicare-eligible Americans are signing up for these private insurer plans, hospital advocates say the plans are threatening both patient care and the bottom line. “Many of the providers are struggling with Medicare Advantage,” said Stephen Love, the president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. “The provider side is very concerned.
” Once President-elect Donald Trump takes office for his second term, he could further expand Medicare Advantage, which would exacerbate hospitals’ concerns. People who are Medicare-eligible — mostly seniors — can choose a Medicare Advantage plan instead of traditional Medicare coverage. Medicare Advantage plans are operated by private insurers such as UnitedHealthcare and Humana.
Seniors may opt for the private plans because they often have lower monthly costs and they may provide added benefits such as gym memberships or dental care. These types of plans have been on the scene for decades, but enrollment has more than doubled in the past 10 years. A total of 33 million people opted to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans for this year, according to data from KFF Health News.
That means 54% of people who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Texas as a whole is slightly ahead of the national trend, with 58% of Medicare-eligible resid.
