New Study Finds Improvements from Some Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits
A study published in Health Services Research suggests opportunities to achieve the "triple aim" through Medicare Advantage (MA) supplemental benefits. Specifically, for MA enrollees who are frail and not also eligible for Medicaid benefits, being in a plan that offers "primarily health related" supplemental benefits results in statistically significant reductions in hospital and emergency department utilization. Unlike benefits like transportation or food delivery, primarily health related benefits are supports that diminish the impact of injuries or health conditions—particularly in-home support for activities of daily living, support for caregivers, adult day health services, and home-based palliative care. The study did not find utilization benefits from other supplemental benefits, nor in other populations. The researchers did not study home-based palliative care benefits exclusively, but their findings suggest that palliative care and other targeted supports for enrollees living with serious illness do indeed make a positive impact on both enrollees and plan financial performance.