MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2016) - Following the government's release of data on 2017 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, HealthPocket has found large differences in average premiums and deductibles among the states.

For example, based on government data, Florida's Medicare Advantage plans will have the lowest average premium in 2017 at $19.24 while North Dakota, in contrast, will be over 6 times that amount with an average premium of $120.90. When examining Medicare Part D trends on the state level, HealthPocket found that the state with the lowest average premium is Hawaii. At $43.95, the Aloha State had an average premium among 2017 Part D plans that will be 17% lower than the national average of $53.22. In comparison, California will have the highest average premium for their 2017 Part D plans. The state's average premium of $65.90 will be 24% higher than the national average.

A combination of factors (e.g. insurer participation, local medical claims, and local healthcare delivery costs) has created a situation where:

• The average Medicare Advantage premium in the most expensive state is over six times the expense of the least expensive state
• The average Medicare Advantage drug deductible in the most expensive state is over four times the expense of the least expensive state
• The average Part D premium in the most expensive state is 50% more than the average in the least expensive state
• The average Part D drug deductible in the most expensive state is 36% more expensive than the least expensive state
  
  

As was the case in past years, some counties across the U.S. have $0 premium Medicare Advantage plans. Nationally, about 29% of Medicare Advantage plans are $0 premium (though, enrollees are still responsible to pay their Medicare Part B premiums). For Medicare beneficiaries living in areas without those $0 options or who prefer stand-alone Part D drug plans, the state-by-state cost differences in premiums and deductibles raise questions regarding what can be done to improve the situation for a population that has a high proportion living on fixed incomes.

The full findings along with state-by-state costs and the report's methodology can be reviewed at "Nationwide 2017 Medicare Premium Trends Encouraging But State-Level Cost Differences Very Concerning."

HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health insurance plans, helping individuals, families, and small businesses to make their best health plan decisions. HealthPocket publishes health insurance market analyses and other consumer advocacy research. HealthPocket's research is nonpartisan and uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource. HealthPocket, Inc. is independently managed and based in Mountain View, California. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.