Over 50% of Medicare patients are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which are administered by private insurance companies. In 2018, a report found widespread and persistent problems related to denials of prior authorization and payments to providers. Reports indicate that Medicare Advantage’s overhead is largely due to the costs associated with profits and the bureaucracy needed to upcode, cherry-pick, and erect barriers to high-value care. Despite being more costly to the public compared to traditional Medicare, enrollees in MA plans receive less care.
Our article up today on the "Medicare Advantage Paradox" (MA), with @swoolhandler & David Himmelstein. Compared to traditional Medicare, MA is simultaneously *more* costly to the public, yet its enrollees receive *less* care. How? Brief 🧵: No paywall https://t.co/s3bMdMICmw https://t.co/oVVDD6m76A
"Medicare Advantage’s overhead is mostly the price of their profits. A minority goes for profit; most funds the bureaucracy needed to upcode, cherry-pick, and erect barriers to high-value care." by @awgaffney @swoolhandler & David Himmelstein https://t.co/rtGnujknkQ
For decades, the Medicare program as the gold standard of health coverage. Then, something unexpected happened: it started to show its age. My latest in @JAMAInternalMed. https://t.co/7FabImhNHj
"In 2018, a report found 'widespread and persistent' problems related to denials of prior authorization and payments to providers [by Medicare Advantage plans administered by private insurance companies]." https://t.co/vwwLCeu7my
> 50% of Medicare patients are enrolled in Advantage plans, which are administered by private insurance companies. Journalist @paula_span spoke with @KFF's @jeanniebin,@CMAorg's Lipschutz, patients, families & physicians re: MA plans. https://t.co/h5mQexSiS9 h/t @janoldenburg