Study Highlights the Cost Savings and Improved Health Outcomes of Medicare Advantage Plans
- August 21, 2020
Published July 26, 2020
Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) beneficiaries experience lower out-of-pocket health care costs and better health outcomes than beneficiaries of traditional fee-for-service Medicare, according to a recent study conducted by the Better Medicare Alliance.
Study highlights Medicare Advantage benefits such as telehealth, preventive care, dental, hearing and vision
Some of the notable findings of the report include:
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- Medicare Advantage beneficiaries saved $1,598 in out-of-pocket spending per year, compared to beneficiaries of Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B).
- Medicare Advantage beneficiaries paid one-seventh the amount paid by Original Medicare beneficiaries for inpatient hospital stays.
- The average monthly premium for Medicare Advantage plans decreased for the third consecutive year, down $3.87 per month from 2019 to 2020.
- 80% of Medicare Advantage plans offer either vision, dental or hearing benefits, and more than 50% of plans offer all three. Routine dental, vision and hearing benefits are not typically covered by Original Medicare.
- More than 600 plans offer telehealth services, making telemedicine available to 14 million Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
- Medicare Advantage beneficiaries experienced a 25% higher rate of access to annual preventive care than Original Medicare beneficiaries.
- Medicare Advantage beneficiaries experienced fewer unnecessary and avoidable hospitalizations, as well as fewer overall hospital stays and emergency room visits.
Better Medicare Alliance is the one of the nation’s leading research and advocacy organizations supporting Medicare Advantage.
What is Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Advantage plans serve as an alternative option to Original Medicare, which is provided by the federal government.
Medicare Advantage plans are sold by private insurers and are required by law to provide all of the same basic benefits as Original Medicare. Most Medicare Advantage plans offer prescription drug coverage, which Original Medicare doesn’t cover.
Some plans also cover routine dental and vision care, hearing aids, gyms memberships, wellness programs and more. More than one out of every three Medicare beneficiaries now receives their coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan.
The report also found that more than four out of five Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with prescription drug coverage belonged to a plan that was rated four stars or higher by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which rates all Medicare Advantage plans every year.1
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1 Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
