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Annual Enrollment Period Produces Surge in Medicare Advantage Sign Ups
- February 22, 2021
After the dust settled from Medicare’s fall Annual Enrollment Period (AEP, also called the fall Medicare Open Enrollment Period), a significant increase in Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) enrollment was unearthed.
Based on preliminary data, the Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 enrollment period yielded a 9% year-over-year increase in Medicare Advantage plan enrollment. That skyrocketing increase pushed the number of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans past 24 million.
2020 Medicare Open Enrollment Period trends
Some consumer trends from the 2020 fall open enrollment period were highlighted in a recent study that concluded:
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- 35% of people who enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in the fall did so because they have had a Medicare Advantage plan before and preferred it to Original Medicare.
- 29% of enrollees cited prescription drug coverage as their top reason for signing up for a Part C plan.
- 16% of enrollees cited greater affordability over Original Medicare as their top reason for joining a Medicare Advantage plan.
- 45% of enrollees were enrolled in Original Medicare in 2020.
The increased enrollment during the fall AEP reflected an upward trend in Medicare Advantage plan sign ups that’s been taking place for nearly 20 years.
In 2005, just 13% of Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Enrollment has since increased every year except from 2015 to 2016, when it remained flat.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
