Between November 15 and December 31, Medicare’s 47 million beneficiaries will have an opportunity to switch in or out of a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan for 2011.  The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued several resources that help explain the plan options available for beneficiaries in 2011.

• Medicare Part D Spotlight: Part D Plan Availability in 2011 and Key Changes Since 2006 examines the private stand-alone Part D drug plans that will be available to Medicare beneficiaries in 2011 and provides an early look at key trends in the options, premiums, and other plan characteristics. A related fact sheet contains 2011 state-specific summary data about available Medicare drug benefit options, including premium ranges, the number of plans with no gap coverage in the "doughnut hole," and the number of plans available at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries.
• Medicare Advantage 2011 Data Spotlight: Plan Availability and Premiums provides an overview of recent changes made to the Medicare Advantage program and examines trends in plan participation, premiums and certain benefits. Nearly a quarter of the Medicare population is enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the privately administered plans that are an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program.

In addition, separate fact sheets provide an overview of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and the Medicare Advantage program, including changes included in this year’s health reform law. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information and analysis on health issues.

November 9, 2010