Allyson Y. Schwartz (Health Affairs 3/10/2021)

From 2013 to 2019, enrollment in Medicare Advantage grew by 125% among poorer, vulnerable beneficiaries who are dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, according to an actuarial analysis by Milliman, as it decreased in Traditional Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare. Enrollment among minority beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage, who continue to face disparities in health care, also grew by 111% in the same time frame.

In a few short years, old notions of the typical Medicare Advantage enrollee were disproven by the data, as an increasingly diverse, medically complex, and at-risk beneficiary population turned to Medicare Advantage for the coverage, care, and security that meets their health and financial needs.

Recently, in a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) nominee Xavier Becerra, one lawmaker stated incorrectly that Traditional FFS Medicare beneficiaries are “typically are a little older, and a little sicker, and a little poorer” than Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

READ MORE