Medicare Advantage Sees Fewer Covid-19 Hospitalizations In Beneficiaries And Offers Greater Access To In-Person And Telehealth Non-Covid Care During Pandemic

Better Medicare Alliance: Medicare Advantage Sees Fewer Covid-19 Hospitalizations In Beneficiaries And Offers Greater Access To In-Person And Telehealth Non-Covid Care During Pandemic

A new data brief commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance, the leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, finds that Medicare Advantage had a 19% lower rate of COVID-19 related hospitalizations during the first nine months of the pandemic than fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. Key findings on telehealth are summarized below:

Access to telehealth before and during the pandemic: Before the pandemic, 21% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries reported access to telehealth services compared to 16% of FFS Medicare beneficiaries. During the pandemic, 50% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries reported access to telehealth services, compared to 48% of FFS Medicare beneficiaries.
(*actual access to services may be higher, as these numbers reflect beneficiary knowledge of telehealth availability)