Rural Medicare Advantage: modest enrollment growth in 2010.

December 2009: rural Medicare Advantage enrollment grows 15% in 2009.

Rural enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) and other prepaid plans grew by 15% from December 2008 to December 2009, faster than the 10% national growth rate. Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans drove the increased enrollment in MA plans in rural areas in 2009, while private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans continued to dominate the market with over 50% of enrollment. This landscape could c...

February 2010: a dramatic shift away from private fee-for-service plans in rural Medicare Advantage enrollment.

In a reversal of recent trends, private fee-for-service (PFFS) enrollment fell dramatically in rural areas in early 2010. As a result, Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment in rural areas (excluding other prepaid plans) fell slightly in early 2010 for the first time in years. The dramatic drop in PFFS enrollment was offset by increases in enrollment in preferred provider organization (PPO) and hea...

March 2011: growth in PPOs dominates the rural MA market in 2011.

Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment has changed dramatically in 2011 as enrollment has shifted from private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans into preferred provider organization (PPO) plans. PFFS plans dominated the growth of the rural MA market from 2005 to 2010; however, a significant number of PFFS plans have left the market due to legislative changes that required plans to provide protections fo...

Update on rural enrollment in Medicare Advantage growth continues.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in rural areas grew more than 50% in the first three quarters of 2007 and has more than tripled since the inception of the MA program at the beginning of 2006. However, rural enrollment remains well below urban enrollment as a percentage of the eligible population. This brief updates early findings from analysis of the Medicare+Choice/MA program prese...

September 2010: rural Medicare Advantage enrollment update.