The new analysis
examines the share of Medicare beneficiaries who compared plans during
the 2018 open enrollment period for coverage in 2019, the share who
compared drug coverage in Medicare Advantage and stand-alone drug plans,
and variation by demographic characteristics, based on an analysis of the
2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (the most recent year
available).
Other key findings
include:
• The share of
beneficiaries who said they did not compare their options was higher
among beneficiaries who are Black (74%) and Hispanic (79%), ages 85 and
older (84%), with low incomes (85%), and those enrolled in both Medicare
and Medicaid (87%).
• When it comes to Part
D drug coverage, 81 percent of Medicare Advantage drug plan enrollees and
72 percent of Medicare stand-alone drug plan enrollees said they did not
compare drug coverage offered by their current plan to other plans.
• Nearly half (47%) of
all beneficiaries with Medicare said they had never visited the official
Medicare website for information, 53 percent reported they had never
called the 1-800-MEDICARE helpline and 31 percent said they did not read
the Medicare & You handbook.
Medicare beneficiaries
with traditional Medicare can compare and switch Medicare Part D
stand-alone prescription drug plans or join a Medicare Advantage plan,
the privately run alternative to traditional Medicare. At the same time,
enrollees in Medicare Advantage can compare and switch Medicare Advantage
plans or elect coverage under traditional Medicare with or without a
stand-alone drug plan.
Coverage and costs vary widely among both Medicare Advantage plans and
Part D prescription drug plans. Plans can change from one year to the
next, as can beneficiaries’ health care needs, which could lead to
unexpected and avoidable costs, and disruptions in care for beneficiaries
who stay put and do not at least review their options annually.
For other Medicare-related data and analyses, including our Medicare
Open Enrollment FAQs and our updated Overview of
the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit,
visit kff.org. The Medicare open enrollment period runs through December
7.
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