VIDEO: Education on Medicare Advantage, other health care options ‘critically important’
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Key takeaways:
- Medicare Advantage may help improve access by reducing out-of-pocket costs.
- The plans could also offer additional dental, vision and affordable prescription options.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Getting educated on the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage may be “critically important” for patients and providers in nephrology, a speaker said, here.
In a discussion about value-based care at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings and in a video interview with Healio, Eugene Lin, MD, MS, FASN, of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, outlined the potential benefits and drawbacks of Medicare Advantage and how it compares to Medicare fee-for-service.
“Medicare Advantage is probably flying under the radar with respect to kidney disease, but in my opinion, it [is] probably the most impactful policy that [is] going to affect, and is affecting, kidney disease,” Lin told Healio. “ ... It [is] critically important that both providers and patients are educated and understand what Medicare Advantage is.”
The transition to value-based care could have major implications for nephrology, according to Lin. One way Medicare Advantage may help improve access to care is by reducing out-of-pocket costs: “In [traditional] Medicare, dialysis is extraordinarily expensive, and patients are obligated to pay out of pocket 20% of that expense,” Lin said. “That all adds up, and Medicare Advantage plans, for a lot of patients, can be better from a financial perspective.”
The plans could also offer additional dental, vision and affordable prescription options.
While navigating an increase in prior authorizations and other challenges remain, Lin said,
“Moving forward, as there are more patients that are enrolling in these plans,” providers should ask “how can the government ensure patients are able to access the care they need.”
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Lin E. Paper 274. Presented at: NKF Spring Clinical Meetings; May 14-18, 2024; Long Beach, Calif.
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