Medicare Advantage Enrollment by Immigration and English Proficiency Status

AJMC September 19, 2023
Sungchul Park, PhD, David J. Meyers, PhD, Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez, PhD, Arturo Vargas Bustamante, PhD

Medicare Advantage enrollment was higher among immigrants compared with US-born residents, but the highest enrollment was found among immigrants with limited English proficiency.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Complex Medicare Advantage (MA) health plan choices may overwhelm immigrants, especially for those facing decision-making constraints due to limited English proficiency (LEP). We examined the trends and patterns of MA enrollment by immigration and English proficiency status.

Study Design: We employed a cross-sectional design using data from the 2008-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Methods: Our outcome was enrollment in an MA plan. Our primary independent variables were immigration and English proficiency status. We categorized the sample into 3 groups: LEP immigrants, non-LEP immigrants, and US-born residents. After adjusting for individual-level characteristics, we estimated the adjusted...

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