Home Health Care Use by Older Adults with Dementia: Medicare Advantage vs. Traditional Medicare
Author Information
Author(s): Smith Jamie, Xu Jianhui (Frank), Brown Teneil, Burgdorf Julia, Polsky Daniel, Ornstein Katherine
Primary Institution: Widener University, Johns Hopkins University, VNS Health
Hypothesis
How does home health care utilization differ between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare beneficiaries with dementia?
Conclusion
Medicare Advantage enrollees are less likely to use home health care services compared to Traditional Medicare beneficiaries.
Supporting Evidence
- The study included a nationally representative sample of 316,407 persons with dementia.
- MA enrollees were less likely to use HHC services than TM beneficiaries (26.2% vs 29.8%).
- The groups were similar in age, with 34% being male.
- A greater proportion of TM beneficiaries were dual eligible (37% vs. 32%).
Takeaway
This study looked at how older adults with dementia use home health care services differently depending on their Medicare plan.
Methodology
The study used Medicare enrollment files linked to FY 2018-2019 MA encounter and TM claims data to identify persons 65+ years with dementia and at least one HHC visit in 2019.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 66% Traditional Medicare and 34% Medicare Advantage enrollees, with a greater proportion of MA enrollees identifying as non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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