The Southwest's Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth by State

Thanks to typically lower costs and more perks, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans often offer great value in comparison to Original Medicare.  Despite featuring managed care protocols and more limited provider choices, MA plans have been steadily drawing Medicare eligible seniors away from Original Medicare.  As of December 2021, over 27.3 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, an increase of more than 55% from December 2016 levels.  By comparison, during this same five-year time period the total Medicare eligible population only grew by about 11%.

The popularity of Medicare Advantage plans nationally is mirrored in the four-state Southwestern region of the country. In the last five years MA plan enrollment in the Southwest grew at an average rate in excess of 10% per year, more than 3.5 times faster than the growth rate of the Medicare eligible population in the Southwest during this period.  Here is a deeper look at the Southwest's Medicare Advantage enrollment growth by state from December 2016 to December 2021:

The Southwest's Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth by State

	Medicare Eligible *			MA Enrollment *			Annual % Growth
State	Dec-21	Dec-16		Dec-21	Dec-16		Eligible	MedAdv
AZ	1,402.3	1,200.5		640.2	453.3		3.2%	7.2%
NM	442.1	390.3		190.1	125.5		2.5%	8.7%
OK	764.9	704.5		238.9	119.0		1.7%	15.0%
TX	4,407.9	3,819.2		2,037.8	1,194.8		2.9%	11.3%
Region	7,017.2	6,114.5		3,106.9	1,892.5		2.8%	10.4%
U.S.**	63,710.0	57,388.1		27,294.4	17,562.2		2.1%	9.2%

* Medicare Eligible and MA Enrollment numbers in thousands, as of December 2021 and December 2016
** U.S. totals include territories
Numbers may not total due to rounding

Source: Medicare Monthly Enrollment by State Reports