An article from 
Dive Brief
The CMS said premiums, benefits and plan choices will hold steady in 2025, even as insurers have warned they could cut MA offerings in a bid to preserve profits.
Published Sept. 30, 2024
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Dive Brief:
- Medicare Advantage beneficiaries will pay less in premiums on average for their health plans in 2025, the CMS said on Friday.
- The average monthly premium for all MA plans will fall to $17 next year from $18.23 in 2024. Around 83% of enrollees will have the same or lower premium if they stay enrolled in the same health plan, and about 60% of beneficiaries in their current plans will have a zero-dollar premium, according to the CMS.
- Beneficiaries in the average county will have 65 plans to choose from next year, including special needs plans. Not including SNPs, enrollees will have access to 34 plans.
Dive Insight:
MA, where the federal government contracts with private insurers to manage the benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, has steadily grown over the past 15 years, attracting more beneficiaries with additional coverage like dental benefits or gym memberships.
About 51% of all people enrolled in Medicare will be in MA plans next year — compared with about half in 2024 — and enrollments are expected to top 35.7 million, according to the CMS.
Federal regulators released the data ahead of Medicare’s annual open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.
Overall, access to MA plans will hold stable in 2025, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement.
The number of MA plans with supplemental benefits will be widespread too, according to the agency. Nearly all plans offer vision benefits, while 97% offer hearing or dental coverage.
More SNPs, or offerings geared toward enrollees who also qualify for Medicaid or have specific health conditions, will be available too. The number of SNPs will increase by 9% from this year to 2025, and enrollment in these plans will reach about 28% of MA beneficiaries.
The assurance of stability from regulators comes after MA plans warned they could slash benefits or pull out of some markets to stave off industry headwinds. Insurers have faced increased turbulence in the historically lucrative MA program as more seniors have sought out medical care after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Humana, one of the nation’s largest MA payers, expects to lose a few hundred thousand members next year as it leaves markets and shrinks benefits in a bid to protect profits, the insurer said on an earnings call in late July.
CVS is also projected to cut its MA offerings for 2025. Cigna, which has notched a deal to sell its Medicare business entirely, said this month it will cull its MA footprint in eight states next year.
Susanna Vogel 
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