Research from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Provide New Insights into Cardiovascular Diseases and Conditions (Association Between Medicare Program Type and Health Care Access, Acute Care Utilization, and Affordability Among Adults With …): Cardiovascular Diseases and Conditions

2022 SEP 15 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators discuss new findings in cardiovascular diseases and conditions. According to news reporting originating from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Medicare Advantage plans now provide health insurance coverage to >24 million older adults in the United States, and enrollment is increasing among individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Whether Medicare Advantage enrollment is associated with similar health care access, acute care utilization, and financial strain for adults with CVD compared with traditional Medicare is unknown.”

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: “We performed a cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older with CVD using the 2019 National Health Interview Survey. We fit multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association of Medicare program type (Medicare Advantage versus traditional Medicare) with measures of health care access, acute care utilization, and affordability. The weighted population included 11 013 437 Medicare beneficiaries, of whom 3 922 104 (35.6%) were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, and 7 091 334 (64.4%) were enrolled in traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare enrollees were similar with respect to age, sex, racial/ethnic distribution, and household income; however, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were more likely to live in an urban setting (82.7% versus 76.0%; P =0.01) and to be college educated (24.2% versus 19.0%; P =0.01). Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were more likely to have a usual source of care (93.5% versus 88.9%; OR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.33-2.98)]; however, there were no other differences in health care access or utilization. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were more likely to have problems paying medical bills (16.5% versus 11.6%; OR, 1.68 [1.17-2.40]) and to worry about paying medical bills (40.1% versus 33.8%; OR, 1.37 [1.07-1.76]) compared with those enrolled in traditional Medicare.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Adults with CVD in Medicare Advantage were more likely to experience financial strain related to their medical bills compared with those in traditional Medicare. As enrollment in Medicare Advantage grows, policy efforts should focus on ensuring care is affordable for patients with CVD.”

For more information on this research see: Association Between Medicare Program Type and Health Care Access, Acute Care Utilization, and Affordability Among Adults With Cardiovascular Disease. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 2022. The publisher for Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes is Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1161/circoutcomes.121.008762.

Our news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Andrew S. Oseran, Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA (A.S.O., R.A., A.K., R.W.Y., R.K.W.). Additional authors for this research include Tianyu Sun, Rahul Aggarwal, Ashley Kyalwazi, Robert W. Yeh, Rishi K. Wadhera.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the authors of this research: Andrew S. Oseran (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5810-5927), Tianyu Sun (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3996-1381), Robert W. Yeh (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0564-4468), Rishi K. Wadhera (http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1089-3896).

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)