Quality of Care in Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare
Author Information
Author(s): Mahmoudi Elham
Primary Institution: University of Michigan Medical School
Hypothesis
How does the quality of care among older adults in Medicare Advantage compare with that in Traditional Medicare?
Conclusion
Traditional Medicare performed better in receiving needed care and specialty care, while Medicare Advantage was superior in lowering out-of-pocket costs and care coordination.
Supporting Evidence
- About 50% of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
- Timely access to coordinated and high-quality ambulatory care is critical to preventing adverse health events.
- Medicare Advantage was associated with greater challenges receiving needed care among people without dementia.
- Traditional Medicare was associated with more dissatisfaction with out-of-pocket costs.
Takeaway
This study looked at how well older people get care in two types of Medicare plans. One plan is better at helping people get the care they need, while the other helps save money.
Methodology
The study used Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data from 2017-2021 and applied inverse propensity weighting to balance characteristics of enrollees.
Limitations
The study is limited to data from 2017-2021 and may not reflect current trends.
Participant Demographics
Older adults with and without dementia.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI:0.9%,1.9%
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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