by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 19, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare, Medicare Advantage
The Medicare Advantage program is undergoing its biggest shifts in more than two decades. Payers can take steps now to mount a strategic, agile response as the changes unfold. Brokers are vital to the Medicare Advantage (MA) ecosystem, representing 70 percent of MA...
by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 19, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare Advantage, news
The past couple of years have seen the sharp ascendancy of Medicare Advantage to now include more than half of all beneficiaries with Medicare coverage. The alternative to the traditional fee-for-service Medicare has proven popular with consumers due to...
by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 19, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, news
Virtually all enrollees in Medicare Advantage (99%) are required to obtain prior authorization for some services – most commonly, higher cost services, such as inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility stays, and chemotherapy. This contrasts with traditional...
by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 19, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare Advantage, news
Medicare Advantage has steadily grown over the past decade, and now encompasses more than half of all seniors eligible for Medicare. However, over the past year, the industry has faced significant headwinds, which as stymied some payers’ expansion plans. These...
by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 19, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, news
Over the last decade, Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, has taken on a prominent role in the Medicare program. In 2024, nearly 33 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, more than half, or 54%,...
by Carrie Haubensak | Dec 6, 2024 | Insurance Industry, Medicare, Medicare Advantage
After both insurers challenged the agency in court, the CMS improved scores for 12 UnitedHealth contracts and seven Centene contracts. UnitedHealth and Centene have received a valuable boost in their Medicare Advantage star ratings for 2025 after squaring up against...
