The Growth of Medicare Advantage
Health Care

The Growth of Medicare Advantage

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Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans – which provide more comprehensive coverage than Medicare parts A and B and are managed by private insurers – has more than tripled since 2005, according to a new report from The New England Journal of Medicine.

Over the next 10 years, the proportion of enrollees covered by Medicare Advantage will rise from 34 percent to 42 percent of the overall Medicare population. At the same time, federal spending on Medicare Advantage enrollees will nearly triple, rising from $200 billion this year to $580 billion by 2028.

These rising costs could become an issue, the report says, as “federal spending becomes a more pressing policy concern.”

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