Medicare Advantage Iowa

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Iowa will have 70 Medicare Advantage plans in 2023, up from 9 last year. Access to those plans will vary based on where you live in the Hawkeye State, but every Medicare member here will have access to at least one private plan.

Nationwide, signups for Medicare Advantage are on the rise, with private plans now accounting for 45% of all Medicare enrollment. In Iowa, enrollment in Medicare Advantage represented nearly a third (30%) of the Medicare population in 2022, per an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Medicare Advantage has become popular partly because it covers everything that Original (Parts A and B together) covers — by law — as well as additional benefits that vary by plan. Advantage is sold by private carriers. Large insurance companies in Iowa include UnitedHealthcare/AARP, Humana and Aetna.

The CMS is reporting that the average premium for Medicare Advantage in Iowa is just over $9 a month in 2023. The lowest-priced option comes in at $0. Plan options are unique to zip code, but 96.7% of Iowans will have access to at least one Advantage plan without a monthly premium in 2023.

Medicare Advantage plans don’t have to charge a premium, but some do. And note that you’ll always pay your premiums for Original (usually just Part B), even if your Advantage plan doesn’t have a premium.

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Sources
CMS, state data fact sheet released September 29, 2022
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Medicare Advantage in 2022: Enrollment Update and Key Trends”