Medicare Advantage in the headlines: 7 recent updates

Bright Health is moving to sell the last of its Medicare Advantage business, and new enrollments are boosting payers' first-quarter earnings. 

Here are seven updates about the program Becker's has reported since April 19. 

1. Medicare Advantage enrollment surpassed traditional Medicare for the first time in the program's history, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicare Advantage enrollment reached 30.19 million members in January, compared to 29.63 million members in traditional Medicare. 
   
   
2. The average premium cost for Medicare Advantage plans sold on eHealth increased from $6 a month in 2022 to $9 in 2023, according to the online insurance marketplace's annual "Medicare Index Report."
   
   
3. Bright Health Group is trying to sell its California Medicare Advantage business, a move that would effectively end all of the company's insurance business. 
   
   
4. A lack of data about Medicare Advantage plans means there are several unanswered questions about the program, according to an analysis from Kaiser Family Foundation.
   
   
5. Humana posted a 33 percent increase in profits year over year and added more than 500,000 Medicare Advantage members in the past year, according to its first-quarter earnings. 
   
   
6. HumanaChoice received an estimated $27.3 million in overpayments in 2015 and 2016, according to an audit from HHS' Office of Inspector General. 
   
   
7. Medicare Advantage enrollees across racial and ethnic groups have similar responses to self-reported patient experience measures, but disparities persist in clinical outcomes, according to a report from CMS' Office of Minority Health.