MedPAC: Medicare Advantage now reaches 55% of eligible beneficiaries
By HME News Staff
Updated 8:54 AM CDT, Mon July 20, 2026
WASHINGTON – The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) has released its 2026 data book on health care spending and the Medicare program. The publication provides data on spending, demographics, beneficiary access, quality of care and other information. Data include:
- Medicare spent $1 trillion on personal health care in 2024, representing 23% of national spending on personal health care. Medicare covered 16% of people in the U.S.
- In February 2026, enrollment in MA plans, which are paid on a risk-adjusted basis, reached 35.5 million, or 55% of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries (only beneficiaries enrolled in both Part A and Part B are eligible to enroll in an MA plan).
- The total number of people enrolled in the Medicare program is projected to increase from about 63 million in 2020 to about 77 million in 2030. Beginning in 2030, when the entire baby-boom generation will have become eligible, Medicare enrollment will continue to increase but more slowly.
Dig into the 209-page report here.
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