CMS recently released Medicare Advantage enrollment data following the 2025 AEP. While 2024 AEP still felt like part of the MA expansion era, albeit a slower one, 2025 AEP shows a real pivot. This wasn't just another "mixed bag" year. It was the clearest sign yet that the period of rapid growth is behind us. Here's a look at the five biggest takeaways from our 2025 AEP analysis.
During this 2025 Medicare AEP, beneficiaries face a complex landscape marked by marketing "noise," election-year rhetoric and significant changes due to new CMS regulations and carrier responses. To get a beat on anticipated behavior and motivations for change ahead of October 15, Media Logic conducted a survey that revealed a complex landscape of factors that may drive shopping and interest in considering a plan change, including financial considerations, benefit structure, network changes and involuntary plan terminations.
The combination of CMS rule changes, financial pressures and the distraction of the hotly contested presidential election were already creating anxiety for payers as they prepare for the 2025 AEP. Now, you can add to the mix the uncertainty stemming from a series of lawsuits against CMS. As these lawsuits continue a trend of disruption facing the healthcare industry, here's what healthcare marketers should keep in mind.
With 31 million lives insured through Medicare Advantage and growing competition for switching opportunities, it is critical to find the best ways to engage shoppers during AEP. Our recent consumer insight survey delved into buyers' experience with the 2024 AEP to gain perspective and provide marketing professionals with actionable insights.
A recent Media Logic online webinar covered new strategies to help Medicare marketers break through the AEP clutter and better engage with Medicare prospects. The online seminar featured the insights of two members of our Healthcare Marketing Innovation Team: Jim McDonald, head of strategic growth, and Josh Martin, healthcare group director.
Looking at the greatest membership gains and losses overall doesn't quite paint the whole picture. We looked at changes by plan type and noticed something interesting: Some of the biggest winners didn't gain across product types, but just one or two types of plans.
Several co-brand MA plans – three of which were announced in the second half of 2023 – were open for enrollment during the 2024 AEP. We analyzed how these offerings were promoted in direct mail and social media and looked into how the plans fared in terms of enrollment numbers.
We always endeavor to stay on top of the latest trends in healthcare marketing and pass on updated best practices to readers on our blog. Throughout 2023, we've paid attention to valuable consumer insights of older adults, interesting tools for marketers and consumers alike, changing demographics of Medicare eligibles, the rise of generative AI and so much more. Take some time to get caught up on our top blogs from this past year, covering those topics and many others.
While marketing isn’t the only factor determining a health plan’s success during the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP), we must be nimble and ready to course correct. Here, Media Logic provides tactics when leads are lagging.
At the midpoint of the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), we took a pulse, through a quick survey of Medicare-eligible consumers, to get insight into the decisions they are making and why. While these consumers insights won’t impact marketing tactics this AEP, they can answer questions you may have about the trends payers are seeing across the country.