Medicare’s two insurance systems: Current performance and options for reform

Medicare beneficiaries can choose whether to receive their health insurance directly from the federal government via traditional Medicare or through a private health insurer via the Medicare Advantage program. While traditional Medicare attracted the large majority of beneficiaries through most of the Medicare program’s history, Medicare Advantage recently overtook traditional Medicare following close to two decades of steady growth. This milestone has spurred discussion about how well traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage are each serving beneficiaries, as well as how much each form of coverage costs the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries themselves.

On October 23, the Center on Health Policy at the Brookings Institution will convene leading experts for two panel discussions that will take stock of how Medicare’s two insurance systems are performing today and how policymakers could make each work better. The first panel will examine the current performance of both sides of the Medicare program, including how well each form of coverage protects beneficiaries from the costs of illness and ensures access to needed care, as well as the performance of Medicare’s systems for paying health care providers under traditional Medicare and health insurers under Medicare Advantage. The second panel will examine options for reform in each of these domains and discuss how reforms to traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage could fit together.

Viewers can join the conversation and ask questions of the speakers by emailing [email protected] or on X/Twitter @BrookingsEcon using the hashtag #Medicare.

Join us after the event for a reception from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.