Medicare Advantage: Past, Present, and Future

October 23, 2025

1:00 pm-

2:30 pm

Virtual Event

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, offered by private health insurers as an alternative to traditional Medicare Fee-for-Service, now cover more than half of all Medicare beneficiariess—over 34 million people in 2025. Yet few fully understand how the program came to be, the role it plays in the broader Medicare population, or where it is headed. Experts will trace the program’s history, discuss oversight and market trends, and offer insights on the policy debates likely to shape the next phase of Medicare Advantage. The session will blend historical perspective with timely analysis and include an interactive Q&A to clarify common questions and misconceptions.

By the end of the webinar, participants will:

Understand how Medicare Advantage developed from its early roots through the Medicare Modernization Act and how the Affordable Care Act impacted the program’s evolution and growth.
Examine how Medicare Advantage influences beneficiaries’ coverage choices, care experiences, and how these considerations intersect with Medicare spending.
Gain insight into policy conversations around cost, quality, oversight, and innovation.
Identify key themes likely to shape the program’s next phase, including upcoming rulemaking and potential legislative changes.

Speakers

Moderator: Carrie Graham, PhD, Executive Director of the Medicare Policy Initiative, Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform (CHIR)
Shawn Bishop, JD, MPP, Senior Advisor, Akin
Brian Miller, MD, MBA, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Nonresident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

More speakers to be announced!

This event is free, open to the public, and designed for policymakers, health care professionals, and those simply interested in how Medicare shapes care for millions of Americans.

Register today!

This webinar was made possible thanks to our sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Speakers

Carrie Graham, Ph.D.

Executive Director of the Medicare Policy Initiative, Georgetown's Center on Health Insurance Reform (CHIR)

Carrie Graham, Ph.D. is a Research Professor and the Director of the Medicare Policy Initiative at Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform (CHIR) where she oversees a portfolio of policy analysis, research and technical assistance for policymakers on Medicare Advantage and original Medicare. Previously she was the Director of Aging and Disability Policy at the Center for Health Care Strategies. She also holds an Adjunct Professor appointment at the University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health and Aging. Dr. Graham has been working in the field of aging research, health policy, and evaluation research for over 25 years, including evaluating California’s Dual Financial Alignment Initiative and other efforts to expand managed care delivery systems for older adults and people with disabilities. In 2018-2019 she worked as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means on Medicare oversight and legislation for post- acute care, surprise billing, and price negotiations for Part D prescription drugs. In 2020 she acted as consultant to California in the development of the state’s Master Plan for Aging; and subsequently provided technical assistance for over 20 states developing their own multisector plans for aging. Dr. Graham holds a doctorate in medical sociology from UCSF and a master’s degree in gerontological studies from the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from University of California, San Diego in sociology and African studies.

Brian Miller, MD, MBA, MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and Nonresident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Brian Miller, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H. is a practicing hospitalist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, an Associate Professor of Medicine and Business (courtesy) at Johns Hopkins University, and and a Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Dr. Miller runs a multi-disciplinary, fifteen-person research group that analyzes market-driven solutions in FDA regulatory policy and Medicare payment policy. Research by his team has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Tobacco Control, BMJ, and Health Affairs Forefront among other venues. Trained and board-certified in preventive medicine and internal medicine, Dr. Miller has broad regulatory experience at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Miller is a Commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a Trustee for the North Carolina State Health Plan, and a member of the National Advisory Council for the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. He serves as an advisor to members of Congress and other elected officials and lives in Washington, D.C.

Shawn Bishop, JD, MPP

Senior Advisor, Akin

Shawn’s health policy experience includes assessing the policy and financial implications of legislative initiatives and advising on trends, regulatory risks and opportunities in public and private sectors. Her understanding of federal health programs enables her to deliver high-level advisory and advocacy services to clients and support them in crafting and implementing health policy, managing regulatory challenges and building bipartisan coalitions that foster lasting outcomes. In her roles on the Senate Finance Committee, Shawn led development of major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, as well as legislation on Medicare prescription drug policies, including Senate Finance Committee passage of the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 and enactment of the health provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Her analytic roles at the Congressional Budget Office and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services further deepens her ability to bring data-driven insights to advise clients on a range of health policy issues. Shawn’s career reflects a commitment to bridging policy goals with practical solutions that drive stakeholder value and improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Her experience working across the aisle, insights and ability to navigate the full spectrum of the policymaking process positions Shawn to advise clients and achieve results on a range of health care issues.

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