Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare: How Do Beneficiaries’ Characteristics and Experiences Differ?

Commonwealth Fund October 14, 2021
Gretchen Jacobson, Aimee Cicchiello, Janet P. Sutton, Arnav Shah

Toplines

Enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans is projected to overtake traditional Medicare enrollment over the next decade. But do these plans provide greater value to beneficiaries?

Enrollees in both forms of Medicare have similar demographics, report comparable levels of chronic illness, and experience the same monthlong wait times for medical care

Abstract

• Issue: Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans continues to increase rapidly. This has led to questions about which beneficiaries are enrolling in Medicare Advantage or in traditional Medicare and how their health care experiences compare.
• Goal: To assess the characteristics and experiences of beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare.
• Methods: Analysis of data from the 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and the Commonwealth Fund 2021 International...

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