All the Medicare Advantage trend lines seem like they are northward bound. Enrollment, the number of plans, the number of companies selling those plans — they’re all up. So Avalere Health’s report last month on the percentage of beneficiaries in highly rated plans stood out — and not in a good way.
All the Medicare Advantage trend lines seem like they are northward bound. Enrollment, the number of plans, the number of companies selling those plans — they’re all up. So Avalere Health’s report last month on the percentage of beneficiaries in highly rated plans stood out — and not in a good way.
Related: Medicare Advantage Enrollment Keeps Growing
CMS’ Star Rating program grades the quality of Medicare Advantage plans on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest quality.
Using data that the CMS made available in October, Avalere Health calculated that approximately 11.9% of the enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage are in 5-star plans, which isn’t a big difference from the 11% of enrollees in 5-star plans last year.
But the consulting firm’s numbers show that the proportion of enrollees in 4.5-star plans dropped sharply, from 31.4% last year to 19.6% this year, and the proportion in 4-star plans dipped from 38.8% last year to 30.9% this year.
Bridging the Diversity Gap in Rare Disease Clinical Trials with Harsha Rajasimha of IndoUSrare
November 8th 2023Briana Contreras, an editor with Managed Healthcare Executive, spoke with Harsha Rajasimha, MD, founder and executive chairman of IndoUSrare, in this month's episode of Tuning in to the C-Suite podcast. The conversation was about how the disparity in diversity and ethnicity in rare disease clinical trials in the U.S. has led to gaps in understanding diseases and conditions, jeopardizing universal health, and increasing the economic burden of healthcare.
Listen
Study Raises Concerns Over Insurance Barriers to HIV Prevention Medications
November 29th 2023Despite its efficacy, PrEP remains underutilized compared to the need for it. High costs are among the barriers to PrEP use, along with limited knowledge among clinicians, lack of health insurance, stigma, and underestimation of personal HIV risk.
Read More
Managing Editor of Managed Healthcare Executive, Peter Wehrwein, had a discussion with William Shrank, M.D., a venture partner with Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, about how artificial intelligence's role is improving healthcare, where we are today with value-based care and the ongoing efforts of reducing waste in the healthcare space for this episode of the "What's on Your Mind" podcast series.
Listen