As we take a look at Medicare’s enrollment data, it’s clear that the number of people enrolling in Medicare Advantage plans is continuing to grow. According to data from CMS released on February 1, 2014, 15.9 million Americans are now covered by Medicare Advantage plans – up from 15.1 million November 1, 2013, an increase of 5.53 percent.
Here are the 10 insurers with the biggest enrollment gains during Medicare’s 2013 Annual Election Period (AEP):
- Humana – up 316,645 members (a 13 percent increase)
- Aetna – up 125,949 members (a 13 percent increase)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan – up 44,461 members (a 14 percent increase)
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina – up 36,399 members (a 30 percent increase)
- Wellpoint – up 29,805 members (a 5 percent increase)
- Independence Blue Cross – up 29,659 members (a 35 percent increase)
- Medical Card System – up 28,462 members (a 22 percent increase)
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida – up 27,477 members (a 26 percent increase)
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan – up 22,794 members (a 2 percent increase)
- Scan Health Plan – up 19,103 members (a 13 percent increase)
Combined, these represent 82 percent of the net gains across the U.S.
What do these insurers have in common? Almost all offered $0 premium plans. The question is will they be able to sustain the offer next year? (Based on the most recently proposed CMS guidelines for reimbursements, that might be tough.) And if not, will they feel a backlash next year? We’ll have to see.
In another interesting note, #22 on the list of enrollment gains is Trinity Health, a plan run by a healthcare system. Several hospital systems joined the state and federal exchanges: is the “hospital as insurer” trend taking hold? It’s definitely something to watch.
Stay tuned for a more detailed analysis of what happened during 2013 AEP. We’ll be hosting a webinar in April with a deeper exploration of the lessons learned from the winners and losers.