Study: Low-Income Seniors Choosing Medicare Advantage and Finding Better Access to Care

​New research commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance, the leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, finds that a greater proportion of dual-eligible beneficiaries choose enrollment in Medicare Advantage, compared to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare only.

Dual-eligible beneficiaries comprise 23% of the total Medicare Advantage population, compared to 17% in FFS Medicare. Likewise, 44% of all dual-eligible beneficiaries choose Medicare Advantage, compared to 35% of non-dually eligible Medicare beneficiaries.
 
Dual-eligible beneficiaries – Medicare recipients who also qualify for Medicaid – have incomes near or below the Federal Poverty Level and often present complex medical and social needs and limitations.
 
The study, conducted by ATI Advisory and based on Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MBCS) data, points to Medicare Advantage’s increasingly diverse, at-risk population and further shows that dual-eligible beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage experience better access to care compared to FFS Medicare.
 
Click here to read the study.