Recent research on Medicare Advantage found enrollees with chronic conditions are not more likely to switch to original Medicare, and payment cuts do not slow the program's enrollment growth.
Here are six recent findings about the program's enrollees and outcomes Becker's has reported since May 24.
- Medicare Advantage enrollees with more chronic conditions are not more likely to switch to fee-for-service Medicare, a study published in JAMA found. Researchers at the Ohio State University in Columbus and George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., found no significant differences in the rates of members leaving Medicare Advantage by the number of chronic conditions from 2009 to 2019.
- Cuts in Medicare Advantage benchmark payments did not lead to slower growth in enrollment, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found. The study compared rates of Medicare Advantage enrollment in counties that faced high benchmark payment cuts to those with lower cuts. Counties with more substantial benchmark payment cuts did not have lower enrollments in the eight-year study period compared to counties that received smaller payment reductions, the study found.
- Kaiser Permanente reduced rehospitalizations and deaths among Medicare Advantage members 30 days after hospitalizations using meal benefits. A study published in JAMA Health Forum compared Kaiser Foundation Medicare Advantage members with heart failure and other chronic conditions who received at least two medically tailored meals daily to those who did not receive meals. Among patients without heart failure, 30-day risks of rehospitalization and mortality were lower for those who received meals.
- Medicare Advantage plan enrollees have lower expenses than those with similar risk scores who remain in traditional Medicare, but payments to the program are based on traditional Medicare, according to a whitepaper from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Because Medicare Advantage enrollees tend to have lower expenses, but the government pays MA plans based on an average risk profile for traditional Medicare enrollees, overpayments could be higher than previous estimates, according to the analysis.
- Medicare Advantage patients who receive in-home health visits through the Optum HouseCalls program spend less time in the emergency room and inpatient hospital settings, according to a study by Yale Medicine and Optum researchers. The study found reductions in emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays for patients receiving home visits from Optum across four conditions: Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and depression.
- Individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid had lower scores on many clinical care measures than their counterparts only eligible for Medicare, a report from CMS found. According to the report, dually eligible individuals were less likely to receive cancer screenings, mental healthcare and proper medication management.