Enrollment in Medicare Managed Care Plans Nears 9 Million |
|
|
|
Written by U.S. Insurance News
|
|
Wednesday, 21 November 2007 |
Enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries in managed care plans increased by more than 1.3 million Americans since October 2006, now surpassing 8.8 million.
Enrollment among Medicare beneficiaries in managed care plans increased by more than 1.3 million Americans since October 2006, now surpassing 8.8 million.
These statistics, provided in a Healthcare Business Strategy brief released by Mark Farrah Associates (MFA), were derived by analyzing data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The MFA brief also states that private-fee-for-service plans (PFFS) gained the most members over the past year, while the greatest growth rate among Medicare Advantage plan-types was in the new regional preferred provider organization plans, which increased their membership by more than 130 percent. Enrollment in stand-alone prescription drug plans grew as well, surpassing 17 million members in October of this year.
Health maintenance organizations still have the largest share of the Medicare Advantage landscape but have lost some of their share in the past year, dropping from 74.1 percent to 65.5 percent. PFFS plans have gained the most market share, rising from 11 percent to 19.3 percent of total enrollment.
The top 10 Medicare Advantage companies account for 58 percent of national market share. UnitedHealth Group retained its lead in this group even though it suffered losses in enrollment and decline in market share in the last year. UnitedHealth's top two competitors, Humana and Kaiser Permanente, also lost market share over the year. Universal American and Coventry Health Care, which have grown in part through acquisitions since October 2006, were the top gainers.
|
