Minority enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans increased by 111% in 2019, with minority beneficiaries accounting for 31.5% of Medicare Advantage enrollees. Meanwhile, enrollment of dually eligible beneficiaries – those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid – jumped 125% from 2013 to 2019.
These are among the findings of a report by Better Medicare Alliance’s Center for Innovation in Medicare Advantage, which also found that Medicare Advantage plans were better at retaining minority beneficiaries than traditional Medicare between 2013 and 2019, with 85% of such beneficiaries remaining in Medicare Advantage compared with 71% in traditional Medicare. Overall Medicare Advantage plan enrollment increased 60%, whereas traditional Medicare saw a 5% enrollment increase during the same timeframe, according to the report.
Almost 27 million beneficiaries are expected to enroll in Medicare Advantage next year, noted Allyson Y. Schwartz, president and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance.
