Some Medicare Advantage enrollees aren't using supplemental benefits: 5 stats to know

 Most Medicare Advantage enrollees rate supplemental benefits as important, but less than half report using dental or vision benefits each year, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund. 

The research group surveyed more than 3,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2024. The Commonwealth Fund published a report on how enrollees use and value their supplemental benefits Feb. 20. 

In 2025, CMS implemented rules requiring MA plans to send midyear notices to beneficiaries informing them of any supplemental benefits they have not used. 

Here are five numbers to know: 

1. Around 70% of MA enrollees reported using some form of supplemental benefit in the past year. 
   
   
2. Around four in five MA beneficiaries rated supplemental benefits as important. Those with lower incomes were slightly more likely to rate supplemental benefits as important. 
   
   
3. Two in five Medicare Advantage enrollees reported using their plans' dental benefits. These numbers were largely similar across income levels, functional limitations and race and ethnicity. 
   
   
4. Two in five MA enrollees reported utilizing their plans' vision benefits. Enrollees with incomes below $100,000 annually were slightly more likely to use these benefits than those earning more than $100,000. 
   
   
5. Nearly half of MA enrollees reported using over-the-counter benefits. More than half of enrollees with annual incomes under $50,000 reported using these benefits, while just 29% of those with incomes over $100,000 reported using over-the-counter benefits. 

Read the full report here