Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have been promoted as a private-sector solution to traditional Medicare’s challenges. While many beneficiaries enjoy the additional benefits and lower out-of-pocket costs that some of these plans offer, it is essential to understand the potential drawbacks of Medicare Advantage from the perspective of patients and taxpayers.

Sixty percent of employees in a recent survey reported experiencing healthcare cost increases that outpaced inflation in the past three years, and 63 percent expect that trend to continue, signaling potential cost challenges in the future. Right now, annual raises are being neutralized by increasing healthcare insurance premiums. If pharma wants to retain people, they may have to develop a solution to lower healthcare insurance premiums.