Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Among Diverse Groups of Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries

NEW Data Highlight Volume 11 - December 2017 Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Among Diverse Groups of Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries The CMS Office of Minority Health has released a data highlight examining the physical and mental health outcomes of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries by race and ethnicity. This highlight is one of the few analyses that (1) compares granular racial and ethnic groups in the same study, (2) is based on a nationally representative sample, and (3) focuses on mental health in older adults. Given the important role that mental health plays in overall health, this analysis makes an important contribution to our understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of mental health in older adults. Some of the findings include: ·         Relative to other races, American Indian and Alaska Native as well as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander beneficiaries generally reported worse mental health status across multiple indicators, including depression and depression symptoms, days of activities missed because of poor physical and mental health, and mental health functioning. ·         Among all ethnicities, multiethnic Hispanic beneficiaries generally reported worse mental health status than non-Hispanic beneficiaries or those reporting a single ethnicity. The findings suggest that viewing results for only larger race or ethnicity groups – such as Asians, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, or Hispanics – may hide key differences, emphasizing the importance of reporting more granular racial and ethnic data. To access this data highlight, visit https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/OMH/research-and-data/information-products/data-highlights/index.html