Medicare Advantage plans are proving to be popular with some of the very groups it was designed to provide coverage for.
A survey by America’s Health Insurance Plans reports that more minorities selected an Advantage plan than a traditional Medicare plan, by a 30 percent-to-23 percent margin. Overall, 30 percent of those enrolled in a Medicare plan — 16 million seniors — chose an Advantage plan, the report said.
AHIP said it released the results of its survey “as CMS prepares to announce preliminary 2016 Medicare Advantage payment policies that could further impact seniors’ coverage and benefits, particularly for the growing number of low-income beneficiaries who depend on these health care services.”
The survey underscores the popularity of the enriched Advantage coverage among low-income seniors, who are apparently flocking to Advantage knowing that they will get a bigger bang for their health care buck.
“Medicare Advantage offers comprehensive disease management programs and care coordination services to help millions of seniors manage their health conditions. Moreover, Medicare Advantage plans continue to outperform traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare at addressing crucial patient care issues and improving health outcomes,” AHIP said.
The analysis was based on data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Other key findings include:
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44 percent of Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries chose Medicare Advantage;
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30 percent of African-American beneficiaries chose Medicare Advantage.
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37 percent of seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage had incomes of less than $20,000, compared to 34 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries;
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55 percent of seniors with Medicare Advantage were women.
“Medicare Advantage’s care coordination programs and services are particularly important for low-income beneficiaries as these individuals are more likely to have multiple chronic diseases, cognitive impairments, or need help with daily living activities,” the report concluded. “As more low-income individuals come to rely on Medicare Advantage for their coverage, policymakers should consider policies that better enable health plans to address enrollees’ complex health needs.”
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
