The 8.3 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan saw a dramatic increase in the number of private fee-for-service plan choices they were offered, reports a Kaiser Family Foundation study. Enrollment in private FFS Medicare plans grew ninefold from March 2005 to November 2006 and accounted for 39% of the growth of Medicare Advantage plans. Fifty-two percent of Medicare beneficiaries have a choice of six or more private FFS plans and 86% have at least three choices. And for the first time this year, Medicare Advantage enrollees were offered a medical savings account with a high deductible and savings account to pay medical expenses. Medical Advantage enrollment grew 37% from 2005 to 2006, with HMO enrollment growing 20% and PPO enrollment growing by 143%.
