Medicare Advantage bonuses poised to drop this year for first time since 2015, KFF says

Bonus payments to Medicare Advantage plans are expected to drop by $1bn this year, with the expiry of pandemic-related policies that boosted plans’ star ratings. The anticipated decline follows a period of continued growth in Medicare Advantage bonuses, which rose over 400% between 2015 and 2023. Despite this drop, projected bonus payments will still reach at least $11.8bn this year, a higher total than each year from 2015 to 2022.