Study Finds Duals, Racial Minorities Are More Likely to Choose MA Plans

Study Finds Duals, Racial Minorities Are More Likely to Choose MA Plans From 2013 to 2019, the number of Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibles enrolled in Medicare Advantage increased by 125% to 5.4 million lives, according to a new Milliman report commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance. Meanwhile, the number of duals enrolled in traditional, fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare decreased by 5% to 6.9 million lives. Researchers found that by 2019, 42.2% of the duals population was enrolled in MA, compared to 25.0% of the same group in 2013 (see bar chart below). Members of the duals group switched from FFS to MA 2.3 million times over the six-year time period. Milliman said this flock to MA could be partially driven by the introduction of CMS's duals demonstration projects, which are currently active in 11 states, but Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) are also an increasingly large part of the landscape, according to AIS's Directory of Health Plans (see market breakdowns below). In addition to its findings on duals, the study showed that nonwhite Medicare beneficiaries were also more likely to choose MA (see bottom chart), with enrollment among racial minorities increasing by 111% over the six-year period.   *In its analysis, Milliman identified 9.6 million full and partial dual beneficiaries from the March 2013 Medicare population and examined their enrollment behavior through April 2019. SOURCES: "Comparing the Demographics of Enrollees in Medicare Advantage and Fee-For-Service," Milliman report commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance, Oct. 2020. View the full report here: https://bit.ly/2Tzu8EO. DHP, AIS's Directory of Health Plans. Visit https://aishealthdata.com/dhp for more information.   Subscribers may read the RADAR on Medicare Advantage article in which this infographic appeared online. Learn more about subscribing to AIS Health's publications.