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More than 40 percent of Medicare enrollees are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, privately-sponsored health plans that provide Medicare benefits often along with other benefits not included in the standard Medicare package such as eye exams, hearing aids, and dental coverage.

Medicare Advantage is growing rapidly. On the current trajectory, it's likely that the majority of Medicare enrollees will be in MA plans within a year or two.

Since MA plans are paid on a capitated basis, insurers have a financial incentive to control health care costs. Recently, much attention has been focused on how addressing social needs can yield health benefits, which save MA plans money.

In order to address those needs, health plans need to know the social needs of their enrollees.

Brian Powers from Humana joins A Health Podyssey to discuss understanding the unmet social needs of Medicare enrollees.

Powers and colleagues published a paper in the April 2022 issue of Health Affairs assessing the health related social needs of enrollees in Humana's MA plans. They found significant needs including financial strain, food and utility insecurity, poor housing quality, and unreliable transportation. These needs were distributed unevenly across enrollees by race, socioeconomic status, and sex.

If you enjoy this interview, order the April 2022 issue of Health Affairs for research on access to care, hospitals and more.

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