What 4 recent studies found about Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage enrollees tend to have lower hospital readmissions rates and expenses than their counterparts in fee-for-service, studies have uncovered. 

Here are five recent findings on Medicare Advantage Becker's has reported since Sept. 19. 

1. Increasing Medicare Advantage enrollment in rural areas did not increase rural hospitals' financial distress or risk of closing, a study published in the American Journal of Managed Care found.
   
   
2. Medicare Advantage enrollees have 70% lower hospital readmission rates than their counterparts in fee-for-service Medicare, a white paper from researchers at Boston-based Harvard Medical School and software firm Inovalon found. An earlier white paper from Harvard and Inovalon found beneficiaries have 12% lower healthcare expenses than beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare. 
   
   
3. A survey from the Commonwealth Fund found Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were slightly more likely than traditional Medicare beneficiaries to report problems accessing healthcare because of cost.
   
   
4. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia are 1.4 times more likely to switch to traditional Medicare than their counterparts without the disease, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found.