Thanks to broader benefits and usually lower costs than Original Medicare coverage, Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans have much to offer budget-minded Medicare-eligible individuals. Despite utilizing managed care protocols to control costs, MA plans have been attracting growing numbers of Medicare-eligible seniors away from traditional Medicare coverage. In a bit more than seven and one-half years, from October 2016 through May 2024, the market share of MA plans across the U.S. has grown from under 31% of Medicare-eligible Americans to 50%.
The growing popularity of Medicare Advantage plans nationally is reflected in the four-state Southwest region of the U.S., where MA plan enrollment has grown from a 31.1% share of the Medicare-eligible market in October 2016 to 51.3% as of May 2024. Here is a state-by-state look at how Medicare Advantage market share in the Southwest has expanded from October 2016 to May 2024:
 |
Medicare Advantage Market Share in the Southwest |
| Medicare Eligible (1) | MA Enrollment (1) | % MA Market Share | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area | May-24 | Oct-16 | May-24 | Oct-16 | May-24 | Oct-16 | ||
| AZ | 1,482.1 | 1,186.6 | 751.1 | 450.6 | 50.7% | 38.0% | ||
| NM | 460.0 | 386.3 | 229.3 | 124.8 | 49.8% | 32.3% | ||
| OK | 797.7 | 698.8 | 323.1 | 119.0 | 40.5% | 17.0% | ||
| TX | 4,712.1 | 3,778.6 | 2,522.0 | 1,185.4 | 53.5% | 31.4% | ||
| Region | 7,451.9 | 6,050.2 | 3,825.5 | 1,879.8 | 51.3% | 31.1% | ||
| Total(2) | 66,833.3 | 56,888.7 | 33,419.9 | 17,489.5 | 50.0% | 30.7% | ||
