HealthIntel Weekly: High Satisfaction with 2026 Medicare Plans, Rising Costs and GLP-1 Demand Loom

Dec 05, 2025

Welcome to HealthIntel Weekly. Every week, we pull together the latest health care reports, research, and upcoming webinars so you don’t have to dig for them.

What’s New:

In 2022, 13.6 million people were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid for at least one month, according to the 2025 edition of “Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid” from MACPAC. About 51% of dually eligible beneficiaries were exclusively enrolled in managed care for their Medicare benefits. For Medicaid services, 43% of dually eligible beneficiaries had at least one month of managed care enrollment. The dually eligible population grew from 12.4 million in 2018 to 13.6 million in 2022, a 9.9% increase, or an average annual growth rate of 2.4%. Across states, average annual growth in dually eligible enrollment ranged from a 0.5% decline in Vermont to a 6.0% increase in Utah. Over the same period, Medicare spending per dually eligible beneficiary rose sharply, with 22.3% cumulative growth and an average annual increase of 5.2%. Medicaid spending per beneficiary also increased but at a more modest pace.

Medicare payments for continuous glucose monitors and related supplies exceeded suppliers’ acquisition costs by $377 million between July 2022 and June 2023, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Overall Part B spending on CGMs and supplies rose from $109 million in 2018 to $1.3 billion in 2023. The GAO found the greatest potential savings in CGM supplies, where Medicare payments surpassed retail prices by $290 million in a single year. Investigators also identified $7 million in potential overpayments based on improper coding by suppliers. The watchdog recommended the CMS use its current authority to adjust payment rates and strengthen oversight to prevent overpayments resulting from inaccurate billing codes.

The majority (77%) of people who reviewed their 2026 health insurance plan options felt satisfied, with the highest approval among Medicare beneficiaries (86%) and individuals with employer-sponsored coverage (81%), according to a new eHealth survey of more than 1,500 Americans. Still, more than half of respondents were surprised by the high cost of monthly premiums, including 79% of ACA marketplace enrollees. The survey also found that about one-third of Americans plan to start GLP-1 medications for weight loss once the Trump administration’s discounted pricing takes effect next year. Separately, eHealth’s analysis of Medicare Advantage enrollment shows that the average out-of-pocket maximum is rising by 8% in 2026, while the average deductible declines by 2.8%.