“Private Medicare plans now cover more than half of Medicare beneficiaries, but how well they actually serve people differs from county to county,” Maya Goldman writes over at Axios. “Medicare enrollees living in communities of color and with high rates of poverty had less access to top-rated Medicare Advantage plans last year than those living in wealthier places that are majority white. These disparities could contribute to unequal health outcomes for seniors across the country as Medicare Advantage enrollment grows, particularly among seniors from diverse and low-income backgrounds. The geographic quality differences in Medicare availability drive home the longstanding point that where someone lives in America can determine the caliber of their health care options. ‘Nobody can really easily move to another location to get the health care services they need,’ said Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, associate director of KFF’s program on Medicare policy. ‘It’s even harder for people who are Medicare beneficiaries.’ … Medicare Advantage plans offered in more disadvantaged counties were less likely to be rated 4.5 stars or higher, according to research published last week in JAMA Network Open.” Maya Goldman, “Medicare Advantage’s geographic disparities,” Axios.
