More than nine million people, or 34 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees, currently receive their prescription drug benefit through Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans), says new analysis by Avalere Health.
Using just released data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its own proprietary DataFrame(R) database, Avalere researchers analyzed 2009 Medicare Part D open enrollment data to assess shifts in marketplace trends. Enrollment in all types of MA-PD plans grew for 2009, picking up about 730,000 people relative to mid-2008 levels, while total enrollment in standalone prescription drug plans, or PDPs, increased by about 140,000 individuals over the same period.
"MA plans have increased in popularity for 2009, undoubtedly as seniors sought low upfront premiums and great predictability in out of pocket spending," said Bonnie Washington, a vice president at Avalere Health. "By signing up for managed care, many beneficiaries were willing to forgo physician choice for lower cost - a sign that the economy played a stronger role in plan selection this year."
CVS/Caremark and Coventry Healthcare were among the biggest gainers of beneficiaries in the PDP market. In the case of Coventry, two developments significantly increased its enrollment. First, its low premium, enhanced benefit option - AdvantraRx Value - held premiums low while many competitors raised their premiums. Second, Coventry expanded its reach into the low-income subsidy (LIS) market by offering $0 premiums to LIS beneficiaries through its First Health PDPs in 46 states, 15 more states than last year. As a result, the company picked up more than 600,000 people in its 2009 PDPs compared to mid-2008 levels. CVS/Caremark also benefited from auto-enrollment of low-income beneficiaries for 2009 and completion of its acquisition of Long's Drug Stores near the end of 2008.