Here is what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter!

1. Important links 🔗 - the best articles we found this week about the Medicare Market along with links to Jared’s recent LinkedIn posts.

2. Deep Dive 📚 - Seven Charts That Explain Medicare’s Next Chapter 📈

3. Sponsor Snapshot 🚀 - brought to you by Medicare Market Insights +

It’s only a 5 minute read, but it will make you 10x smarter.

DEEP DIVE 📚

Seven Charts That Explain Medicare’s Next Chapter 📈

This week, we’re stepping back from the headlines and looking at the big forces shaping the Medicare market.

Seven visuals —> no clutter —> that explain:

• Where demand is coming from

• How preferences are shifting

• Where Medicare Advantage and Medigap are gaining ground

• And why cost pressure remains the defining challenge

These trends form the backdrop for why we are in the business of Medicare.

Let’s walk through the big picture.

(note: MMI+ subscribers can download a PowerPoint of all visuals 7 data visuals here)

The demographic wave is still here, but it’s changing.

Historical U.S. births reveal the boom that created decades of tailwinds for Medicare growth.

And while the annual number turning 65 begins to slow later this decade, the 65+ population will continue rising for the next 20 years.

This is the foundation of the Medicare opportunity: more seniors, living longer, with evolving needs and expectations.

Enrollment across Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and Medicare overall continues to grow.

MA remains the largest source of net-new enrollment, but Medigap also expands alongside the rising eligible population.

Where people enroll depends heavily on where they live.

A county-level view shows two distinct enrollment landscapes:

• MA penetration is strongest in urban and suburban counties

• Medigap remains dominant across much of rural America

But growth comes with a cost.

Medicare spending per enrollee continues to rise, and the trend holds across projection windows.

This is the macro challenge behind today’s benefit compression, plan terminations, MLR volatility, and Stars tightening.

Within MA, product mix is changing fast.

C-SNP enrollment has grown sharply in recent years, driven by both:

• The rising prevalence of chronic conditions

• Carriers investing in care models that support complex members

C-SNPs represent both an opportunity (higher need = more value to manage) and a challenge (care delivery + cost structure must keep pace).

Medigap is also reshaping itself.

The market has moved decisively away from first-dollar coverage (Plan F) toward Plan G and Plan N.

The Medicare opportunity continues to grow, demographically and economically.

But so does the complexity.

• More seniors entering the market

• More variation in where and how they enroll

• More cost pressure shaping product strategy

• More segmentation within both MA and Medigap

Carriers, distributors, and provider partners who win the next decade will do so by navigating both sides of this story:

the scale of the opportunity and the reality of rising complexity.

(note: MMI+ subscribers can download a PowerPoint of all visuals 7 data visuals here)

SPONSOR SNAPSHOT 🚀: Medicare Market Insights Plus

If you’re ready, here are some ways we can help you:

• Newsletter Sponsorship opportunities: Promote your product or services to leaders in the Medicare space. Let’s discuss. (link)

• Market Research: Reports that help you wrap your arms around the Senior focused insurance markets. (link)

• Consulting: We can help you develop new insurance products for the Medicare market, appraise your books of business, and keep you compliant. Let’s discuss. (link)