New preliminary analysis from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) highlights that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries used less post-acute care than their fee-for-service (FFS) counterparts in 2023.
Data highlights include:
- 11.1% of FFS beneficiaries used post-acute care, compared with 9.7% of MA enrollees.
- SNF utilization totaled 53 stays per 1,000 FFS beneficiaries versus 43 stays per 1,000 MA enrollees (19% fewer).
- Following an acute care hospitalization, 18% of FFS discharges went to a SNF, compared with 15% of MA discharges.
- Community-admitted stays represented 16% of MA SNF stays but only 4% of FFS stays. MedPAC suggested that this difference may reflect MA plans’ ability to waive Medicare’s traditional three-day inpatient hospital requirement.
- MA care pathways were generally shorter and involved fewer transitions between hospitals and post-acute settings. Among hospital stays followed by post-acute care, 56% of MA pathways went directly to home health, compared with 47% of FFS pathways.
Note: These results are preliminary, unadjusted for differences between MA and FFS populations, and do not establish whether lower utilization represents greater efficiency or reduced access to necessary care. MedPAC plans further risk-adjusted analysis and provider interviews.
This analysis is part of
MedPAC’s broader 2026-2027 work examining Medicare Advantage provider networks and access, I-SNP requirements, risk adjustment, post-acute care utilization, and how MA plans pay providers.
Please contact AHCA’s Population Health Policy Analyst
Rohini Achal with questions.