Findings from Harvard University Provides New Data on Managed Care (Medicare Advantage: National Carriers Expand Market Share While Regional Carriers Without Affiliation Decline, 2012-23): Managed Care

2025 JAN 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “This study examined the evolving landscape of insurer competition in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program from both national and local perspectives. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed that the MA market has become more concentrated.”

Financial supporters for this research include NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA), Arnold Ventures.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Harvard University, “National carriers expanded their national market share significantly from 2012 to 2023, whereas the collective market share of regional carriers without affiliation to Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations declined because of acquisitions. For example, the combined national market share of national carriers increased from 46 percent in 2012 to 66 percent in 2023, while the combined national market share of non-Blue regional carriers decreased from 25 percent to 6 percent. Conversely, concentration in local markets has declined but remains highly concentrated, and evidence suggests that further declines may be unlikely. Specifically, declines in local market concentration have been limited to markets with low MA penetration. Once MA penetration exceeds 20 percent, further MA growth is not associated with further drops in concentration, on average.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Thus, policy makers should be aware that MA program reforms that assume MA markets are competitive are unlikely to achieve program goals without ensuring the competitiveness of those markets.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medicare Advantage: National Carriers Expand Market Share While Regional Carriers Without Affiliation Decline, 2012-23. Health Affairs, 2024;43(12):1647-1654. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Joseph G. P. Hnath, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States. Additional authors for this research include J. Michael Mcwilliams and Michael E. Chernew.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2024.00577. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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