MA Plans See 99% Member Satisfaction Among Non-White Members

Almost all Medicare Advantage members are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage coverage and nonwhite members report slightly higher member satisfaction, according to a survey commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance.

“This poll, fielded more than nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic, shows that when crisis struck, Medicare Advantage was ready. In a global health care emergency that has laid bare deep, persisting challenges in health care, we saw beneficiaries’ satisfaction with Medicare Advantage reach new heights,” said Allyson Y. Schwartz, president and chief executive officer of the Better Medicare Alliance.

“The results of this poll depict a rapidly growing beneficiary population that is highly pleased with their health coverage and ready to take action to ensure it is protected.”

Schwartz, a former congresswoman, recently announced plans to step down from her position in the summer after six years leading Better Medicare Alliance.

The online poll went live on December 11, 2020 and closed on December 17, 2020. It reached over 1,000 seniors living on Medicare.

The results indicated that 98 percent of seniors on Medicare Advantage were satisfied with their health plan. Non-white Medicare Advantage beneficiaries expressed even higher satisfaction, with 99 percent reporting that they were satisfied with their coverage.

Similar percentages of members were satisfied with how their health plan managed the pandemic (98 percent) and the network of providers and healthcare systems available to them (97 percent).

The survey also asked which common supplemental health benefits the participants utilized. Vision care was most commonly used with 64 percent of Medicare Advantage members having used this supplemental benefit. While it may be the most utilized, this benefit can still leave members with out-of-pocket healthcare costs, a Health Affairs report found.

Other popular benefits included dental (48 percent), telehealth (43 percent), and wellness (40 percent). These were also some of the most widely offered benefits heading into 2021, with 91 percent of Medicare Advantage plans offering dental benefits, 92 percent offering fitness benefits, and 94 percent of plans embracing Medicare Part B coverage for telehealth benefits.

The percentage of seniors who had used telehealth nearly doubled over the course of about seven months in 2020, the survey also found. Over nine in ten seniors who used telehealth during the pandemic reported having a positive experience, which is consistent with previous reports of the same nature.

However, there remains room for improvement, specifically in member education about their Medicare coverage options and the enrollment process.

Medicare Advantage did not see as widespread member satisfaction regarding the enrollment process as it did in other areas. Slightly more than 70 percent of Medicare seniors responded that the enrollment process was simple, but three in ten reported that the process confused them.

Not all members understood the distinction between different types of Medicare coverage. Moreover, some members did not know about the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings system and, of those who did know about it, 67 percent did not leverage star ratings for their plan selection process.

Nevertheless, 95 percent of members agreed that having options outside of fee-for-service Medicare is important or very important. And many Medicare Advantage members (77 percent) stated that they strongly opposed federal cuts to Medicare Advantage. Policymakers’ support for Medicare Advantage influenced how seniors voted.

“With these numbers in hand, Better Medicare Alliance and our grassroots beneficiary advocates will work to ensure lawmakers know that standing up for Medicare Advantage is good politics and good policy,” Schwartz added.

The results of this survey were released days after the Alliance of Community Health Plan published its own fact sheets outlining four positive trends that continue to define Medicare Advantage plans in 2021. Specifically, the payer organization pointed out Medicare Advantage plans’ diversity, low member spending, high quality of care, and high enrollment growth.