Kentucky Medicare Advantage plan enrollment by the numbers

There were more than 245,000 people in the state of Kentucky enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2017.¹

There are several major types of Medicare Advantage plans. In the state of Kentucky, there are 42 different Medicare Advantage plans available as of 2018.² Not every plan is available in each county, so it's important to find out which ones are offered where you live.

Local PPO plans accounted for a little more than half of all 2017 Medicare Advantage plan enrollment in Kentucky, while regional PPO plans (21 percent of enrollees) and HMO plans (23 percent) were also well represented. The major types of Medicare Advantage plans include:

HMO

A Health Maintenance Organization usually requires patients to use health care providers and pharmacies that are part of the plan’s network (except in the case of emergencies) while also typically requiring a referral from a primary care doctor in order to see a specialist.

PPO

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in a Preferred Provider Organization are able to see providers outside of their plan’s network, often at a higher cost. Beneficiaries in this type of plan typically pay less out of pocket if they choose to receive medical services from providers within their plan’s network. PPO plans typically do not require patients to acquire a referral before visiting with a specialist.

PFFS

A Private Fee-For-Service plan determines how much it will pay to health care providers and how much the patient will pay when care is received. With a PFFS plan, you can typically receive care from any doctor, hospital or health care provider that accepts your plan’s terms. Not all providers will accept these terms, however.

SNP

A Special Needs Plan is a type of Medicare Advantage plan limited to people with certain chronic conditions and  other specific characteristics. Typically, you must receive care from health care providers and hospitals within your SNP network, except for in cases when you need emergency or urgent care and when someone who has End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) needs out-of-area kidney dialysis.

Medicare Cost Plans, Medical Savings Accounts (MSA) and HMO Point-of-Service (HMO POS) plans are 3 additional types of Medicare Advantage plans that are less popular in most states. These plans did not account for any Medicare Advantage enrollment in Kentucky in 2017.

Total number of Medicare Advantage enrollees in Kentucky: 245,786 (as of 2017)1

KY Medicare Advantage enrollees by plan type:

Data reflects Medicare Advantage enrollment in the state of Kentucky as of 2017, as obtained from the Kaiser Family Foundation Medicare Advantage 2017 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update¹

Kentucky State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)

Kentucky’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program offers assistance, information and counseling to Kentucky’s seniors and disabled individuals, as well as their families and their caregivers. This free program may be contacted at 877-293-7447 (option 2) with any questions regarding Medicare, Medicare Advantage or other health insurance benefits.       

You can also explore more information about the insurance industry in Kentucky by visiting the state’s Department of Insurance website.

¹Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicare Advantage 2017 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicare-advantage-2017-spotlight-enrollment-market-update-appendices.

²Kaiser Family Foundation. State Health Facts: Medicare Advantage Plans. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/medicare/state-indicator/plans/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D.