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Medicare Advantage & Part D Enrollment up from 2013

January 16, 2014

On January 15, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the January enrollment file, which offers plan-level enrollment for the Medicare Advantage and Part D markets for 2014. While the file only has enrollment up to December 4 and not the end of the enrollment period (Dec. 7), the data provides a glimpse into high-level enrollment and market share trends. Below are some key highlights. 

 

·         Medicare Part D enrollment continues to grow from 35.2 million in February 2013 to close to 36.6 million in January 2014. Of this overall number, 23 million are enrolled in standalone prescription drugs plans while 13.5 million are enrolled in Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MA-PD plans).

·         Overall, Medicare Advantage enrollment also continues to grow — 15.4 million in January 2014 compared with 14.6 million in February 2013. Enrollee participation in MA remains strong despite plans facing new financial pressures stemming from the ACA.

·         UnitedHealth and Humana both have maintained their position as the top Part D sponsors by enrollment. UnitedHealth boasts more than 8 million enrollees while Humana has 5.8 million so far in 2014. The top sponsors of UnitedHealth, Humana and CVS Caremark have a combined 50 percent of the market.

·         In the PDP market, Humana’s new Humana Walmart Rx plan — offering the nation’s lowest premium at $12.60/month — gained 479,966 lives during its initial enrollment period. Additionally, the nation’s top plan by enrollment, UnitedHealth’s AARP Preferred MedicareRx PDP, has 3,799,248 lives so far for 2014.

 

Source: CMS January MA and Part D enrollment files.  Avalere excluded territories from the PDP plan-specific analysis.

 

Note: The January enrollment files only includes enrollment through December 4; however, the enrollment period lasts until December 7. Beneficiaries could make changes after the December 4 date, therefore enrollment numbers may change for the February file, which offers a clearer picture following the open enrollment period. Avalere will have a deeper analysis available following the release of the February enrollment file. 

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