“Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Prefer Medicare Advantage Over FFS”

“Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Prefer Medicare Advantage Over FFS,” by Victoria Bailey, HealthPayerIntelligence

  

Quote:

“Dual eligible beneficiaries were more likely to choose a Medicare Advantage plan over a fee-for-service Medicare plan, a study commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) found. … Researchers found that 44 percent of dual eligible beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage compared to 35 percent who were enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. Additionally, 23 percent of all Medicare Advantage members were dual eligibles whereas 17 percent of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries were dual eligibles. Dual eligible beneficiaries who were enrolled in Medicare Advantage were more likely to have a usual source of care compared to beneficiaries enrolled in a fee-for-service Medicare plan, the report found. Medicare Advantage dual eligibles received preventive care services more often than fee-for-service dual eligibles as well.”

 

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

Dual eligibles consume a disproportionate share of Medicaid and Medicare spending. It’s good to know Medicare Advantage is serving them well. But for the long-term it’s most important to reduce the proportion of people who end up dependent on both programs. We can do that by removing the perverse incentives in public policy that discourage early and responsible long-term care planning. See Medicaid and Long-Term Care for details.