"[Medicare b]eneficiaries will have more plan choices, with about 2,100 more Medicare Advantage plans operating in 2021 than in 2017, a 76.6 percent increase. Overall, beneficiaries can choose from more than 4,800 Medicare Advantage plans during 2021 open enrollment."Our findings support the CMS press release and estimate a 13% increase in 2021 Medicare Advantage plans as compared to 2020. Across the country, the number of 2021 Medicare Advantage plans (combined MAs and MAPDs) will increase to 4,568**, as compared to 4,047 Medicare Advantage plans offered nationwide in 2020.
Change in the
Number of All Medicare Advantage plans (both MA & MAPD) |
||||||
Number of Medicare Advantage plans (MA & MAPD)** | ||||||
Health Plan Type | 2021 | 2020 | Change '20 to '21 | 2019 | 2018 | |
Cost | 70 | 80 | -10 | -13% | 72 | 84 |
Local HMO | 3,072 | 2,777 | 295 | 11% | 2,400 | 2,130 |
Local PPO | 1,281 | 1,035 | 246 | 24% | 873 | 622 |
Regional PPO | 64 | 64 | 0 | 0% | 63 | 62 |
All PPOs | 1,345 | 1,099 | 246 | 22% | 936 | 684 |
PFFS | 33 | 41 | -8 | -20% | 44 | 46 |
MSA | 5 | 6 | -1 | -17% | 6 | 3 |
MMP | 43 | 44 | -1 | -2% | 50 | 54 |
Total MA & MAPD plans | 4,568 | 4,047 | 521 | 13% | 3,508 | 3,001 |
A brief review of
Medicare Advantage plans
Medicare Advantage plans come in
two general forms (with or without drug coverage),
-- MAs or Medicare Advantage plans that
do not include prescription drug coverage
and
-- MAPDs or Medicare
Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage (MAPD).
What is included in a Medicare Advantage plan? A Medicare Advantage plan (MA or MAPD) includes
your Medicare Part A (in-patient and hospitalization coverage), Medicare Part B
(out-patient and physician coverage), may include additional or supplemental healthcare
benefits (basic dental, optical, hearing, and/or fitness coverage) - and supplemental non-health related benefits (food delivery and general transportation). A
MAPD also includes your Medicare Part D drug coverage. If you enroll
in some types of Medicare Advantage (MAs) that do not include drug coverage,
you may not be permitted to
also join a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan (PDP) (so be sure to check
before you join).
You can join a Medicare Advantage plan even with pre-existing health issues. Starting in 2021, you can join a Medicare Advantage plan without any pre-existing health questions - even if you are a Medicare beneficiary suffering from End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), you can join a 2021 Medicare Advantage plan. This new "guaranteed issue" rule also applies to employer/union Medicare plans (EGHP), but, depending on your state, may not include Medicare Advantage Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs). You can click here for more details about joining a Medicare Advantage plan with ESRD.
Change in the Number of MAPD plans | |||||||
Number of Medicare Advantage plans with Drug Coverage | |||||||
Health Plan Type | 2021 | Change '20 to '21 |
2020 | Change '19 to '20 |
2019 | Change '18 to '19 |
2018 |
Cost | 14 | -2 | 16 | -2 | 18 | -12 | 30 |
Local HMO | 2,893 | 261 | 2,632 | 364 | 2,268 | 265 | 2,003 |
Local PPO | 1,170 | 199 | 971 | 154 | 817 | 240 | 577 |
Regional PPO | 45 | -1 | 46 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 45 |
PFFS | 21 | -5 | 26 | -3 | 29 | -1 | 30 |
MMP | 43 | -1 | 44 | -6 | 50 | -4 | 54 |
Total MAPD Plans | 4,186 | 451 | 3,735 | 507 | 3,228 | 489 | 2,739 |
Change in the
Number of Medicare Advantage plans without Drug Coverage (MAs) |
|||||||
Number of MA
Plans |
|||||||
Health Plan Type | 2021 | Change '20 to '21 |
2020 | Change '19 to '20 |
2019 | Change '18 to '19 |
2018 |
Cost | 56 | -8 | 64 | 10 | 54 | 0 | 54 |
Local HMO | 179 | 34 | 145 | 13 | 132 | 5 | 127 |
Local PPO | 111 | 47 | 64 | 8 | 56 | 11 | 45 |
Regional PPO | 19 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
MSA | 5 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
PFFS | 12 | -3 | 15 | 0 | 15 | -1 | 16 |
Total MA Plans w/o Rx Cov. | 382 | 70 | 312 | 32 | 280 | 18 | 262 |