CMS
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2015
Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS
Media Inquiries
Medicare
Advantage premiums remain stable; enrollment at all-time high
Seniors
and people with disabilities will have continued access to a wide range of
Medicare health and drug plans in 2016
Today, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Medicare Advantage premiums will remain
stable and more enrollees will have access to higher quality plans while, for a
sixth straight year, enrollment is projected to increase to a new all-time
high. In addition, CMS released today new information that shows that millions
of seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare continue to enjoy
prescription drug discounts and affordable benefits as a result of the
Affordable Care Act. Today’s announcement comes as CMS releases the premiums
and costs for Medicare health and drug plans for the 2016 calendar year.
CMS estimates that the average Medicare
Advantage premium will decrease by $0.31 next year, from $32.91 on average in
2015 to $32.60 in 2016. The majority of Medicare Advantage enrollees (59
percent) will face no premium increase.
“Seniors and people with disabilities
continue to experience stable premiums in Medicare health and drug plans while
benefiting from a transparent and competitive marketplace,” said Sean
Cavanaugh, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare.
“Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans remain affordable and provide high
quality care.”
Access to the Medicare Advantage program
will remain strong, with 99 percent of beneficiaries having access to a plan.
In addition, in 2016, more Medicare Advantage plans will offer supplemental
benefits for enrollees, such as dental, vision and hearing benefits. Between
2010, when the Affordable Care Act was enacted, and 2016, premiums are expected
to decrease by nearly 10 percent and enrollment is projected to increase by
more than 50 percent to approximately 17.4 million enrollees, which represents
about 32 percent of the Medicare population. At the same time, beneficiaries
are receiving higher quality care. About 65 percent of Medicare Advantage
enrollees are currently enrolled in plans with four or more stars for 2016, a
significant increase from an estimated 17 percent of enrollees in such plans in
2009.
Premiums in the Medicare Prescription Drug
Program (Part D) will also be stable next year. Earlier this year, CMS announced that the average basic Medicare
prescription drug plan premium in 2016 is projected to remain stable at $32.50
per month. Because of the Affordable Care Act, people with Medicare are seeing
reduced costs through both savings on covered brand-name and generic drugs and
access to certain preventive services at no cost sharing. Since the passage of
the Affordable Care Act, which closes the prescription drug “donut hole” over
time, more than 9.8 million people with Medicare have saved over $17.6 billion
on prescription drugs through July 2015 as a result of the discounts in the
donut hole and rebates in 2010, for an average of $1,796 per
beneficiary.
Quality in Part D continues to be robust,
with close to 50 percent of prescription drug plans receiving four or more
stars. These plans serve about one-third of prescription drug plan enrollees,
compared to 27 percent of enrollees in plans with four or more stars in 2009.
CMS calculates star ratings from one to five (with five being the best) based
on quality and performance for Medicare health and drug plans to help
beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers compare plans.
The Annual Election Period for Medicare
health and drug plans begins on October 15, 2015 and ends December 7, 2015.
Plan costs and covered benefits can change from year-to-year. Medicare
beneficiaries should look at their coverage choices and decide what options
best meet their needs. Beneficiaries who need assistance can visit www.medicare.gov,
call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact their State health Insurance Assistance Program
(SHIP). Beneficiaries who are satisfied with their current coverage do not need
to do anything.
For more information on the premiums and
costs of 2016 Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Prescription-Drug-Coverage/PrescriptionDrugCovGenIn/index.html.
For more information on Medicare Open
Enrollment, including state-by-state fact sheets, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Reach-Out/Find-tools-to-help-you-help-others/Open-Enrollment-Outreach-and-Media-Materials.html.
For a fact sheet on Medicare Advantage and
Part D, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2015-Fact-sheets-items/2015-09-21.html.
For state-by-state information on discounts
in the donut hole, please visit:
For state-by-state information on
utilization of preventive services at no cost sharing to beneficiaries in
Medicare, please visit: http://downloads.cms.gov/files/beneficiaries-utilizing-free-preventive-services-by-state-ytd2015-throug.pdf.
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