“Medicare Advantage Premiums to Decrease by 6% in 2019,” by Thomas Beaton, HealthPayerIntelligence

“CMS officially announced a six-percent decrease in Medicare Advantage premiums in 2019 as the result of MA enrollment, health plan options, and benefits increase. All signs point to the MA marketplace continuing to be a lucrative market for payers.
CMS stated that the average 2019 MA premium will decrease from $29.81 to $28.00 and improve health plan affordability for most beneficiaries. Eighty-three percent of MA enrollees are expected to have either the same or a lower premium in 2019. CMS estimates that 46 percent of MA beneficiaries in their current plan will have a $0 premium. … ‘The popularity of programs, such as Medicare Advantage, and with the various new supplemental benefits and policy changes that have been adopted, we expect plan choices to be even more robust moving forward,’ added CMS Administrator Seema Verma.”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

More good news for Medicare Advantage.

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