Number of Medicare Advantage Plans Offering Supplemental Benefits Increases 64% in 2021

• by Christian Worstell
• December 8, 2020

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The number of Medicare Advantage plans that offer expanded supplemental benefits will increase by 64% in 2021, according to a recent study.

The study, released by the Medicare advocacy group Better Medicare Alliance (BMA), focused on the five supplemental benefits that were approved for Medicare coverage in 2018 and 2019:

• Adult day care
• Home-based palliative care
• In-home support
• Caregiver support
• Therapeutic massage 

In all, 575 plans nationwide will offer at least one of these benefits in 2021, which is up from the 351 plans that offered at least one benefit in 2020. 

More Medicare Advantage plans to offer at-home care

In-home support services are the fastest growing supplemental benefits to be newly offered by Medicare Advantage plans, with 296 plans offering this coverage in 2021 compared to just 148 plans in 2020. Home-based palliative care also saw a large increase, going from 58 plans in 2020 to 128 plans in 2021.

And the number of plans offering more than one of these benefits increased by 82%, from 96 plans in 2020 to 175 in 2021. 

Only one benefit, therapeutic massage, saw a decrease in plan participation in 2021. 

The chart below shows the number of plans offering each of these benefits in 2019, 2020 and 2021. 

Medicare Advantage plan benefits have expanded since 2018

Previously, Medicare Advantage plans were more limited in the selection of extra benefits – benefits offered by the plan that aren’t offered by Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) – that could be included.

Medicare Advantage plans were bound by a rule that only allowed for coverage of care that was “primarily health-related” and did not allow benefits for which the primary purpose was daily maintenance. 

But a 2018 court ruling expanded the definition of “primarily health-related” to include additional benefits that were supplemental in nature but still considered health care benefits. That ruling opened the door for things like adult day care to enter the benefit lineup of Medicare Advantage plans. 

Many Medicare Advantage plans may offer additional benefits

Medicare Advantage plans are sold by private insurers. They are required by law to include all of the same basic coverage as Original Medicare, and many plans may offer additional benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover. 

Common extra benefits that may be covered by some Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage and routine dental, vision and hearing benefits. 

A licensed insurance agent can help you compare Medicare Advantage plans available where you live, including their costs, benefits, coverage and more.

Or call 1-800-557-6059 1-800-557-6059 TTY Users: 711 to speak with a licensed insurance agent. We accept calls 24/7!

About the author

Christian Worstell is a licensed insurance agent and a Senior Staff Writer for MedicareAdvantage.com. He is passionate about helping people navigate the complexities of Medicare and understand their coverage options.

His work has been featured in outlets such as Vox, MSN, and The Washington Post, and he is a frequent contributor to health care and finance blogs.

Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He currently lives in Raleigh, NC.

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