With open enrollment underway, a recent KFF analysis suggests that the vast majority of the 67 million Medicare beneficiaries in the United States will not shop around among the coverage options for 2025 or switch plans. It’s a decision that could have a significant impact on enrollees’ coverage and costs.

The analysis of federal data shows that nearly 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries (69%) did not  compare their Medicare coverage with other Medicare options during the program’s annual open enrollment period for coverage in 2022.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recommends that beneficiaries compare their options because coverage and costs can vary widely, especially among Medicare Advantage plans that now enroll more than half of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries. From one year to the next, Medicare Advantage plans can change their premiums, cost-sharing requirements, provider networks, or prior authorization requirements. For beneficiaries who simply stay put in their existing plan, such changes could lead to unexpected, avoidable costs and disruptions in care.

New changes for 2025 include prescription drug provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that will lower out-of-pocket costs for all Part D enrollees, including a new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending starting in January. In response, Part D plan sponsors may make changes to plan premiums, formularies, and cost sharing — making it especially important for beneficiaries to compare their prescription drug options during open enrollment.

In the past, many have not. The analysis shows that 82% of enrollees in Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans and 69% of enrollees in stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan did not compare their plan’s drug coverage with drug coverage offered by other plans in their area for 2022.

More broadly, relatively few beneficiaries use Medicare’s official information resources. The analysis found that just a quarter (26%) of respondents reported calling the toll-free 1-800-Medicare helpline, four in 10 (42%) reported visiting the Medicare website, and slightly more than half (54%) reported reading some or parts of the Medicare & You handbook.

Medicare open enrollment ends on December 7.

To read the full KFF issue brief on this topic, click here