Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans increased by about 6% from April 2010 to April 2011, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO analysis – which excluded individuals with medical savings accounts as well as plans that only provided Part B benefits and certain plans that restricted enrollment – covered about 71% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
Total enrollment in the plans analyzed rose from 7.9 million in 2010 to 8.4 million in 2011, with total spending of $115 billion in 2010. Enrollment in HMOs, which have the largest share of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, rose by 9%. Local PPOs saw an increase of 38% and regional PPOs increased enrollment by 58%, but private fee-for-service plans saw a drop of 54%, the GAO said.
The number of Medicare Advantage plans went from 2,307 to 1,964 in the same period, with most of the decrease coming from the private fee-for-service sector, which declined from 435 plans to 239, according to the report.
Note: Total number of Medicare beneficiaries was 11.1 million in April 2010 and 11.8 million in April 2011.
Source: Government Accountability Office