Is Medicare Advantage Working?
A Conversation with Cheryl Damberg, PhD, and Sachin Jain, MD, MBA, moderated by Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD
Medicare Advantage (MA) was established with the promise of expanding beneficiary choice, enhancing efficiency, and driving innovation. Decades later, with more than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA, some of those goals have been realized. But, questions about the value of MA linger, with Medicare paying private plans more, on average, than it spends for comparable beneficiaries in traditional Medicare, driving an extra $84 billion in annual federal spending. At the same time, traditional Medicare is unaffordable for many Americans. Calls for reform of MA are now commonplace, but what reforms are needed and will they create a sustainable, affordable Medicare program for taxpayers and beneficiaries? Our experts will weigh in on what’s needed.
Supported by the Charles C. Leighton, MD Memorial Fund.
Speakers
Cheryl Damberg, PhD
Distinguished Chair in Health Care Payment Policy; Director, RAND Center of Excellence on Health System Performance; Principal Senior Economist, RAND
Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer, SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan
