By James P. Waters and Young K. Hong
The American Journal of Surgery, February 16, 2024
Medicare Advantage began in 2003 as a rebranding of the then-named Medicare Part C. It has since expanded to include most Medicare-eligible patients and is projected to capture 60% of these patients by 2028. Its programs promote great benefits and high-value care at low premiums across the board, but recently, numerous organizations have scrutinized these claims. …
Despite claims that Medicare Advantage patients receive high-quality care, more Medicare Advantage patients, especially those from minority backgrounds or with low income, experience cost-related problems accessing care.
This disparity in access to care is present in both Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage but is exacerbated under Advantage plans. Even worse, the disparate access to care under Advantage plans is leading to increased mortality rates for cancer patients.
A recent report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that even though cancer patients have lower estimated hospital costs in Medicare Advantage, they deal with longer delays from diagnosis to treatment.
Further, cancer patients in Medicare Advantage are much less likely to use a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated center of excellence for cancer surgery. These delays to treatment and redirection to less experienced hospitals are resulting in increased mortality rates in patients on Medicare Advantage plans.
full article:
https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com…