Providing typically lower premium costs and added perks, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are widely viewed by seniors as a better value in comparison to Original Medicare.  Although coming with managed care protocols and more limited provider choices, MA plans have been steadily pulling Medicare eligible seniors away from Original Medicare.  As of December 2021, Medicare Advantage enrollment exceeded 27.3 million Americans, an increase of more than 55% from MA enrollment levels in December 2016.  By comparison, in the same five-year period the total Medicare eligible population was up only about 11%.

The growth of Medicare Advantage enrollment in the U.S. is mirrored in the five-state Rocky Mountain region of the country. In the last five years Medicare Advantage enrollment in the Rocky Mountain states grew at an average rate of 9.3% per year, about 2.9 times faster than the rate of growth in the region's Medicare eligible population during this period.  A closer examination of Medicare enrollment data gives us the following details about the Rocky Mountain region's Medicare Advantage enrollment growth by state from December 2016 to December 2021:

The Rocky Mountain Region's Medicare Advantage Enrollment Growth by State

	Medicare Eligible *			MA Enrollment *			Annual % Growth
State	Dec-21	Dec-16		Dec-21	Dec-16		Eligible	MedAdv
CO	969.6	839.2		443.5	275.9		2.9%	10.0%
ID	362.9	298.2		147.2	94.1		4.0%	9.4%
MT	245.2	211.9		56.2	41.8		3.0%	6.1%
UT	429.9	362.8		187.5	124.4		3.5%	8.6%
WY	118.3	100.0		5.4	2.6		3.4%	16.0%
Region	2,125.9	1,812.2		839.9	538.8		3.2%	9.3%
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