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Medicare is a publicly-funded insurance program for individuals age 65 and older as well as those who have certain disabilities. There are over 44 million beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare program and, according to the American Association of Retired Persons, enrollment is expected to go up to 79 million by the year 2030.

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan C, also known as Medigap or Medicare Advantage Plans, are health insurance plans that cover all of the gaps in Part A and Part B coverage that beneficiaries would be required to pay out of their own pocket. There are numerous benefits to getting a Medicare Advantage Plan, but there are many questions potential clients have. The interest in these plans is high, which is why you need to identify qualified Medicare leads who are turning age 65 and will benefit from guidance to make sense of all their options. This will ultimately help your health insurance business to grow.

Top 5 States With Highest Medicare Enrollment

According to KFF State Health Facts, whose statistics include employer-sponsored plans, special needs plans, and other private plans but was based on an analysis of CMS Medicare enrollment files, California leads the nation with the most number of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the program. In the year 2020, there were 3,612,462 beneficiaries enrolled in Original Medicare and 2,759,912 beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans, bringing the total to 6,372,374.

Next, the state of Florida trails behind California with a total of 4,638,573 beneficiaries enrolled. In the state of Florida, 2,407,550 individuals were enrolled in Original Medicare in 2020, and 2,231,023 were enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans. This isn’t very surprising given how popular Florida is as a vacation and retirement destination, and is home to some of the largest retirement communities in the United States.

The Lone Star State is next in the list of the top states with the highest Medicare enrollment in 2020. In Texas, 2,507,002 individuals were enrolled in Original Medicare and 1,744,523 were enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans. This brought the total number of enrollees to 4,251,525 and put Texas in the 3rd place spot. New York has the fourth-highest Medicare enrollment with 2,096,762 individuals enrolled in Original Medicare and 1,570,089 enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans, bringing New York’s total to 3,674,851 in 2020.

Finally, Pennsylvania is the fifth top state with the highest Medicare enrollment. As of 2020, there were 2,766,532 enrollees in Medicare, broken down into:

• 1,551,270 enrolled in Original Medicare
• 1,215,262 enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans

Who wants Medicare Advantage Plans?

These are plans that offer health coverage in addition to what Original Medicare provides, covering any “gaps” in healthcare that Parts A and B do not cover. They also provide additional coverage to a prescription drug plan. These Medigap plans are not available everywhere, so prospective enrollees need a Medicare specialist who will guide them through the different options that are available to them in their ZIP code, and ensure they keep their doctors. Coverage usually includes:

• Medicare Part A deductible
• Medicare Part B deductible
• Medicare Part A coinsurance and hospital costs
• Medicare Part B copayments