Part D enrollments were up about 4 percent for the last quarter, but plans that have recently been hit with sanctions by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services suffered significant enrollment drops, reports Medicare Part D News.
Total Part D enrollment for Medicare drug benefits reached 29.2 million in January 2011, up about 4 percent from 28.1 million in September 2010. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage prescription drug enrollment was also up 4 percent, to 10.4 million in January from just under 10 million in September.
Aetna's Part D enrollment dropped 14,000 to 608,000 from 622,000, and also experienced a slight drop in its Medicare Advantage enrollment. The company attributes this in part to a marketing suspension imposed by CMS last April for failing to provide products in a timely manner when moving enrollees to new formularies.
Health Net also reported a 7.2 percent drop in Part D enrollment for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to the fourth quarter of 2009. That plan underwent a marketing and enrolment suspension from CMS last fall after drug delivery issues.
By contrast, Human and UnitedHealth Group reported strong enrollment increases in its Part D plans.
For more:
- read the Medicare Part D News article
- read CMS Part D enrollment reports