By Robert King | Feb 13, 2020 3:25pm
Seniors on traditional
Medicare were more likely to be a part of a family that has problems
paying medical bills compared to beneficiaries on Medicare Advantage (MA), a
new study found.
But beneficiaries on
MA were also more likely to struggle with medical bills compared to those on
private insurance coverage.
The study, (PDF) released Wednesday from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that overall the
percentage of people in families that had a problem paying a medical bill
decreased from nearly 20% in 2011 to 14% in 2018.
Among adults 65 and
over, the percentages of people in families that had a problem paying a medical
bill in the past year were 12.4% in Medicare only and 12.3% for those in
Medicare and Medicaid.
But a lower percentage
of people on MA (8.3%) or private coverage (5.6%) were in a family that had
trouble paying their medical bills.
The gap between
private coverage and people on Medicare or MA grew among adults 75 and over.
Ten percent of these adults enrolled in traditional Medicare were in families
with problems paying their medical bills, and 7.2% were in MA plans.
But only 4.2% of those
with private coverage reported the same.
The CDC’s analysis
used data from the National Health Interview Survey, which is a household
survey of the U.S. population.
Proponents of MA
touted the study’s results as evidence that the program, which allows Medicare
beneficiaries to purchase plans run by private beneficiaries, leads to cost
savings.
“We are pleased that
federal researchers have confirmed what we have known: Medicare Advantage
delivers important cost protections to beneficiaries,” said Allyson Schwartz,
president and CEO of advocacy group Better Medicare Alliance, in a statement.
The group also pointed
to a July 2019 study (PDF) it commissioned
that found MA beneficiaries save on average $1,276 a year in medical costs
compared to beneficiaries on traditional Medicare.
MA has become an
increasingly lucrative market for insurers, which
have increased investment in the market.
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