New research from Inovalon has found no evidence of favorable beneficiary selection into Medicare Advantage (MA). Compared to those enrolling in Fee-for-Service (FFS), beneficiaries entering MA have more chronic conditions (i.e., higher risk scores) and present with more social risk factors.
After fully controlling for differences in who enrolls, including both clinical and social risk factors, FFS patients cost 11% more than similar enrollees in MA.