Timeline: The Evolution of Supplemental Benefits in Medicare Advantage

Jul 17
Jul 17, 2025

Starting next year, Medicare Advantage insurers will begin tracking enrollees’ usage of supplemental benefits and notifying them of unused benefits in the middle of the year, creating potential uncertainty about utilization in the second half of 2026. While the jury may still be out on whether supplemental benefits are improving outcomes or simply attracting enrollees, it’s clear that the evolution and expansion of non-medical benefits has been one of the most significant developments in recent program history. AIS Health, a division of MMIT, combed through its comprehensive archives to come up with a timeline of key events in the expansion of supplemental benefits.
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Lauren Flynn Kelly

Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in-depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.