For the first time in a decade, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just launched a modernized and redesigned Medicare Plan Finder. The Medicare Plan Finder, the most used tool on Medicare.gov, allows users to shop and compare Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. There are more than 60 million people with Medicare coverage.
The updated Medicare Plan Finder also provides them and their caregivers with a personalized experience through a mobile friendly and easy-to-read design that will help them learn about different options and select coverage that best meets their health needs. The new Plan Finder walks users through the Medicare Advantage and Part D enrollment process from start to finish and allows people to view and compare many of the supplemental benefits that Medicare Advantage plans offer.
The online tools do not replace Medicare’s traditional customer service options. People with Medicare will continue to have access to paper copies of the Medicare & You handbook and be able get help over the phone using 1-800-MEDICARE.
In 2019, CMS added nearly 600 Medicare Advantage plans with average premiums declining to their lowest levels in 6 years. Over the past three years, average Part D basic premiums have decreased by 13.5 percent, from $34.70 in 2017 to a projected $30 in 2020, saving beneficiaries about $1.9 billion in premium costs over that time.
The redesigned Medicare Plan Finder will make it easier for beneficiaries to see these changes and to:
Compare pricing between Original Medicare, Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policies;
- Compare coverage options on their smartphones and tablets
- Compare up to three drug plans or three Medicare Advantage plans side-by-side
- Get plan costs and benefits, including which Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits
- Build a personal drug list and find Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage that best meets their needs
As part of a phased rollout, both the old and new Plan Finder will be available and run in parallel through the end of September 2019, to allow time for users to try out and become familiar with the new version. The new Plan Finder has been in use at the 1-800-MEDICARE call centers for over a month already.
In addition, CMS collaborated with stakeholders to include improvements in the new Plan Finder that directly addresses a number of issues with the old Plan Finder. For example, CMS has integrated information about Medicare coverage options, clarified the cost-savings benefits of low income subsidy programs, added functionality to use actual claims data to help build more accurate drug lists, streamlined the end-to-end flow for users, and ensured that mobile optimization allows for easy use on the device the user prefers – desktop, tablet, or smartphone. In 2018, approximately 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries accessed Medicare Plan Finder on mobile devices, an increase of 40 percent from 2017.
CMS has been offering in-person and online training on the new Plan Finder throughout the summer, with an additional webinar session in September and several other tools to aid with learning the new Plan Finder, including videos and tip sheets.
CMS annually provides Medicare health and drug plan data for private sector developers and researchers to use to create innovative new products. CMS intends to release the real-time Medicare plan data in an API format by the end of this year to make it easier for the private sector to create additional tools to help beneficiaries make informed health coverage decisions.
