Medicare Advantage At 25 Years: Reclaiming A Public Purpose Sachin H. Jain February 23, 2026

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/medicare-advantage-25-years-reclaiming-public-purpose In 1997, Congress created what would later become Medicare Advantage, then known as Medicare+Choice. Enrollment began in 1999, with coverage starting in 2000. Twenty-five years later, Medicare Advantage has become the dominant pathway through which Americans receive Medicare benefits, enrolling more than half of all beneficiaries nationwide. Few health policy efforts have reshaped the Medicare program so profoundly or so quickly.