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Open enrollment for Medicare opens Sunday, and seniors could have dozens of options. During the enrollment period, which ends Dec. 7, people will have the opportunity to choose between traditional Medicare and privately run Medicare Advantage plans in their area, as well as prescription drug plans. But research shows that most people don’t bother shopping. (Murphy, 10/13)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Medicare Enrollees Can Switch Coverage Now. Here’s What’s New And What To Consider

Consumers know it’s fall when stores start offering Halloween candy and flu shots — and airwaves and mailboxes are filled with advertisements for Medicare options. It’s annual open enrollment time again for the 65 million Americans covered by Medicare, the federal health program for older people and some people with disabilities. (Appleby, 10/16)

It’s the middle of October — the time of year that’s filled with pumpkin spice lattes, jumbo-sized bags of Halloween candy, and endless advertisements to sign up for Medicare. Medicare’s annual enrollment period kicked off Sunday and runs through Dec. 7, allowing eligible older adults and people with disabilities to sign up for traditional Medicare coverage or Medicare Advantage, the alternative option that is run by health insurance companies. (Herman, 10/15)

If you’re signing up for Medicare benefits this open enrollment, odds are you aren’t actually enrolling in the traditional government program that people may envision. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are now choosing an alternative version of the program administered by private companies. Medicare, the paragon of America’s welfare state, is undergoing a subtle but fundamental transformation from government program to public benefit provided by private companies, a shift with major implications for both patients and taxpayers. This alternative version of Medicare, known as Medicare Advantage, now covers more than half of the program’s 60 million enrollees, or about 31 million Americans — nearly double its share 10 years ago. (Scott, 10/16)

If trends hold, more people will choose a Medicare Advantage plan over traditional Medicare during the open enrollment season that began Sunday. That's amping up concern about the way plans are marketed, how the government pays insurers who administer benefits and the way they've turned down millions of requests for coverage of services and drugs. (Goldman, 10/16)

If you’re enrolled in Medicare, you might want to turn off your television this time of year. In the weeks ahead, the airwaves will be flooded with advertisements promoting insurance plans during Medicare’s open enrollment period, which will start on Sunday and end Dec. 7. ... But government officials and researchers have voiced rising concerns about the way these plans are marketed to more than 66 million Americans covered by Medicare, considering the complexity — and importance — of enrollment decisions. (Miller, 10/15)

You can get Medicare coverage at age 65. Here's why you may not want to. (Backman, 10/16)

Medicare Advantage insurers will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in 2024 amid another year of lower star ratings, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed Friday. For the 2024 plan year, 42% of plans with prescription drug coverage are rated at least four stars out of five and will receive bonuses from the quality ratings program, down from 51% this year. Nonprofit insurers outperformed for-profit companies: 56% of nonprofit Medicare Advantage carriers will earn bonuses compared with 36% of for-profit companies, according to CMS data. (Tepper, 10/13)

Medicare Advantage plans' average star ratings have fallen for the second straight year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The ratings are a closely watched metric intended to help seniors pick better-performing plans, based on up to 40 quality measures. The scores also determine if insurers qualify for bonuses from Medicare, and consumers can switch into the highest-scoring plans year-round. (Goldman, 10/16)

Due to a shortage of a widely used compounded medicine for serious eye diseases, two leading ophthalmologic groups want Medicare contractors to halt practices that limit coverage of other — albeit costlier — treatments over concerns about patient access. (Silverman, 10/13)

Cigna has announced the expansion of its Medicare Advantage (MA) presence to Nevada. The health insurance giant said it would launch the MA plan in two Las Vegas-area counties with a $0 premium plan. Cigna already offers Medicare Supplement plans and stand-alone prescription drug plans throughout the state. The plan will initially be available to Medicare-eligible customers during Medicare’s annual enrollment period, which began Sunday and extends through Dec. 7. The plan will take effect Jan. 1. (Smith, 10/16)

Some seniors and pregnant people—among the most vulnerable to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—are forced to pay out of pocket (upwards of $300) for an RSV vaccine this year due to a loophole that means it’s not covered under all Medicare plans. (Johnson, 10/13)