Table 3. Characteristics of People Newly Eligible for Medicare ESRD Benefits in 2021a.
| Characteristics | Medicare Advantage (n = 32 208) | Traditional Medicare (n = 52 415) |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficiary characteristics | ||
| Age, median (IQR), y | 72 (66-78) | 67 (56-75) |
| Sex, % | ||
| Male | 54.2 | 59.7 |
| Female | 45.8 | 40.3 |
| Race or ethnicity (n = 31 770 for Medicare Advantage; n = 50 670 for traditional Medicare), %b | ||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.4 | 1.2 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| Black | 31.6 | 24.8 |
| Hispanic | 5.8 | 4.0 |
| White | 55.5 | 60.0 |
| Otherc | 3.3 | 7.0 |
| Reason for current Medicare entitlement, % | ||
| Old age and survivors insurance | 78.7 | 58.2 |
| Disability insurance benefits | 18.8 | 15.4 |
| ESRD | 0.8 | 24.9 |
| Both disability insurance benefits and ESRD | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| ≥1 Month dual Medicare-Medicaid coverage in 2021, % | 39.1 | 34.4 |
| ≥1 Month eligible for Part D coverage in 2021, % | 98.1 | 65.5 |
| ≥1 Month eligible for Part D low-income subsidy in 2021, % | 45.7 | 55.7 |
| County-level characteristics, median (IQR) | ||
| No. of dialysis facilities in 2020 | 12 (3-35) | 8 (2-24) |
| No. of DaVita-owned facilities | 5 (1-13) | 3 (0-9) |
| No. of Fresenius-owned facilities | 4 (1-9) | 3 (1-7) |
| No. of facilities not owned by DaVita or Fresenius | 3 (0-10) | 2 (0-7) |
| Proportion of female beneficiaries, % | 54.6 (53.7-55.5) | 54.5 (53.5-55.4) |
| Proportion of Black beneficiaries, % | 10.0 (3.4-20.7) | 8.1 (2.5-18.9) |
| Proportion of Hispanic beneficiaries, % | 4.1 (1.4-14.9) | 3.4 (1.3-12.3) |
| Proportion of White beneficiaries, % | 71.1 (52.3-84.7) | 75.2 (56.6-88.2) |
| Proportion of dual beneficiaries, % | 19.5 (15.9-25.0) | 18.4 (14.6-24.7) |
Abbreviation: ESRD, end-stage renal disease.
Sample limited to Medicare beneficiaries who became newly eligible for ESRD benefits in 2021. Table does not include Medicare beneficiaries who became newly eligible for ESRD benefits in 2021 who switched coverage and had at least 1 month in both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (n = 6979, or 7.6% of the sample).
Race and ethnicity are from the Medicare Master Beneficiary Summary file, which uses an algorithm developed by the Research Triangle Institute to classify beneficiaries as Hispanic or Asian or Pacific Islander according to data from the Social Security Administration or whether they have a first or last name that the institute determined was likely Hispanic or Asian.
Other includes categories not captured by Medicare race and ethnicity variables.