Comparative Analysis of Health Care Access and Equity in Medicare Advantage Versus Traditional Medicare

Category	Detail
Condition	Health Care Access and Equity
Key Mechanisms	Disparities in access to care influenced by comorbid conditions, clinician bias, geographic variation, and structural racism.
Target Population	Medicare beneficiaries, specifically Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White individuals.
Care Setting	Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare

Disparities exist in access to care among Medicare beneficiaries based on race.
Medicare Advantage (MA) is associated with fewer discretionary procedures compared to Traditional Medicare (TM).
Black and Hispanic beneficiaries may experience greater reductions in ED visits and hospitalizations under MA.
Cost-sharing and care-management gatekeeping may disproportionately affect non-White beneficiaries in MA.
Utilization data was analyzed using HEDIS measures for 2021.

Consider the impact of cost-sharing and care management on different racial groups in MA.

Monitor utilization rates of discretionary and less discretionary procedures across racial groups.

Be aware of potential underutilization of necessary services among non-White beneficiaries in MA.

Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in either MA or TM.

Enrollment in MA may lead to reduced utilization of certain elective procedures.

Ensure equitable access to care across all racial and ethnic groups.
Evaluate the effects of MA plan features on care access for diverse populations.
Use risk-adjusted measures to compare utilization rates between MA and TM.