“Medicare, Medicare Advantage physician rates nearly equal,” by Emily Gersema, USC News

“Medicare Advantage plans managed by private insurers pay physician prices that are similar to traditional Medicare rates, according to a new USC-led study. . . . For example, the mean rate for an office visit in Medicare Advantage was 97 percent of the traditional Medicare rate. Medicare Advantage’s mean reimbursement rate ranged from 91 percent of traditional Medicare’s rate for the physician fee for a cataract removal in an ambulatory surgery center to 102 percent of traditional Medicare for a complex emergency department visit. The researchers concluded that traditional Medicare rates appear to anchor the prices paid by Medicare Advantage.”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):
Or maybe it’s the other way around, MA rates anchor traditional Medicare. After all, the Medicare Advantage approach takes advantage of private sector competition and coordination instead of top-down centralized government rate setting.

Medicare, Medicare Advantage physician rates nearly equal

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