Health Affairs May 15, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic is fundamentally disrupting the health care system and injecting significant uncertainty about current and future utilization and costs. Medicare Advantage (MA) plans serve over 35 percent of Medicare beneficiaries, and elderly individuals appear particularly susceptible to the contagion. Despite being in the early stages of the pandemic, MA plans are currently making financial decisions about costs, premiums, and benefits for 2021. MA plans and standalone prescription drug plans (PDPs) must submit their bids for the benefit year starting on January 1, 2021 on June 1, 2020. Submitting bids in June provides the lead time needed for the annual October 15, 2020 to December 7, 2020 “open enrollment” period when Medicare beneficiaries choose their preferred coverage option.
Facing...