AHA podcast: New trends in Medicare Advantage plans raise concerns about access to care

Last year, 42% of all Medicare beneficiaries received benefits through private Medicare Advantage plans, with enrollment in these plans growing by nearly 10% annually. There are concerns, however, that health insurer efforts to restrict access are resulting in the erosion of coverage and patient access. An alarming report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has escalated these concerns, revealing MA plans have exhibited a pattern of denying prior authorization and payment requests that would have been covered by traditional Medicare. In this Advancing Health podcast, Michelle Millerick, AHA's senior associate director of health insurance coverage, discusses how commercial insurers are impacting patient care through their policies.