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Given all the recent debate over Medicare Advantage reimbursement rates, a non-partisan company conducted an examination of extra insurance benefits provided by MA plans; benefits not covered by original Medicare; benefits frequently overlooked in discussions of MA's proportional value to consumers. When reviewing data on 2014 Medicare Advantage plans, the research found:

• 94% of MA plans provided some form of vision coverage;
• 71% of MA plans provided some form of dental coverage;
• 59% of MA plans provided some form of hearing coverage;
• 42% of MA plans offered extra insurance coverage for vision, dental and hearing together in the same plan.

Source: Healthpocket.com

• Standard Life and Casualty Medicare Supplement release
  
• Western Catholic Medicare Supplement release
  

Federal regulators on Monday boosted planned payments to insurers that run private Medicare Advantage plans, issuing final rates that were higher than the cuts regulators proposed in February. The Fed will increase the overall rate it pays Medicare Advantage plans by 0.4% in 2015, despite a proposed policy issued in February that signaled a 1.9% cut. Analysts said the final 2015 rates still appeared to reflect a reduction in payments (as much as 3%) compared with 2014. The increase came as a surprise.

The Fed raised 2014 base payments for Advantage insurers by 3.3% last year, after initially proposing a 2.2% reduction. CMS scraped up part of the 2.5% increase in the actual bidding benchmark by changing the way it calibrates one Medicare Advantage risk management program and slowing the phase-in of another risk management program that could have decreased the benchmark Medicare Advantage plans earned an average profit of 4.5% for insurers in 2011, according to the Government Accounting Office. Nearly 16 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, accounting for roughly 30% of all eligible beneficiaries, up about 9% from 14.6 million last year. The Congressional Budget Office projects Medicare Advantage enrollment will hit 21 million by 2023.

• Western Catholic Medicare Supplement release