How CMS Policies to Reverse Protections for Medicare Beneficiaries Reflect a Broader Deregulatory Push
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has finalized its Contract Year 2027 Medicare Advantage...
Beneficiary Choice
The Medicare Advantage (MA) program was designed to provide beneficiaries with additional choices and benefits. But to make informed decisions about their coverage, they need transparent and meaningful information that can help them compare costs and coverage across many plan choices. MPI examines policies to improve the tools and information that beneficiaries need to effectively compare plans, evaluate available coverage options, and navigating the enrollment process. This work includes analyzing policies related to marketing, agents and brokers, as well as approaches to structure plan choices and strengthen transparency on plan features that matter most to beneficiaries.
Additional work looks at policies that impact the choice between traditional Medicare and MA, including ways to ensure beneficiaries have viable and affordable options in both programs and the ability to choose coverage that aligns with their needs.
Explore policy proposals related to MA beneficiary choice and Premium support in our Medicare Advantage Compendium.
Policy Brief: Medicare Advantage Enrollees Weigh In: Five Recommendations to Improve Open Enrollment
Read “Medicare Advantage Enrollees Weigh In: Five Recommendations to Improve Open Enrollment&...
How Medicare Beneficiaries Choose Plans — And What the CY 2027 Medicare Advantage Proposed Rule Might Change
On January 14, 2026, Georgetown’s Medicare Policy Initiative in collaboration with Arnold Ventures...
Assessing Medicare Advantage Quality at the Plan versus Contract Level
Under the Quality Bonus Program, Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts are assigned a star rating of 1 t...
Implications of measuring Medicare Advantage quality at the contract level: What that means for beneficiary choices and plan payments
Currently, CMS measures Medicare Advantage quality at the contract level rather than the plan level....
Fact Sheet: Improving Beneficiaries’ Ability to Make Informed Medicare Choices
Read “Improving Beneficiaries’ Ability to Make Informed Medicare Choices” here.
SHIPs Provide a Critical Service for Medicare Beneficiaries
By Jack Hoadley, Beth Fuchs, and Rachel Schmidt The authors have spent the majority of their careers...
Privatizing Medicare: Challenges and Unanswered Questions about Default Enrollment into Medicare Advantage
By Carrie Graham and Madeline McBride A number of conservative policymakers and think tanks have pu...
Did Changes From the Inflation Reduction Act Affect Medicare Beneficiaries’ Plan Decisions During Open Enrollment? Reflections From Two SHIP Counselors
Two research professors from Georgetown University’s Medicare Policy Initiative, Rachel Schmidt an...