Table 2.
Sample characteristics by full-year enrollment in traditional Medicare vs. Medicare advantage.
| Variable | TM | MA | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADRD | 256 (2.40) | 262 (3.16) | 0.0378 |
| Age | 0.0046 | ||
| 50–64 years | 1,286 (13.49) | 842 (13.05) | |
| 65–74 years | 2,880 (54.57) | 2,227 (51.23) | |
| 75+ years | 3,558 (31.94) | 2,977 (35.72) | |
| Female | 4,124 (53.08) | 3,398 (55.94) | 0.0585 |
| Race and ethnicity | <0.0001 | ||
| White non-Hispanic | 6,139 (79.21) | 4,092 (69.39) | |
| Black non-Hispanic | 604 (7.96) | 741 (12.54) | |
| Hispanic | 554 (6.50) | 919 (12.15) | |
| Other/unknown | 427 (6.33) | 294 (5.92) | |
| Non-metro residence | 1,998 (21.32) | 938 (13.34) | <0.0001 |
| Region | 0.1367 | ||
| Northeast | 1,503 (19.53) | 1,069 (16.81) | |
| Midwest | 1,686 (20.63) | 1,251 (20.54) | |
| South | 3,010 (39.13) | 2,245 (37.46) | |
| West | 1,525 (20.71) | 1,481 (25.19) | |
| Income ≥$25,000 | 5,389 (76.50) | 3,501 (62.71) | <0.0001 |
| Dual-eligible | 1,271 (11.23) | 1,410 (18.66) | <0.0001 |
| Speak a language other than English at home | 728 (9.35) | 1,043 (15.33) | <0.0001 |
| Winter 2021 | 4,158 (50.81) | 3,354 (53.21) | 0.0022 |
| Access to internet | 6,516 (88.17) | 4,747 (82.80) | <0.0001 |
| Use video or voice calls | 3,697 (52.63) | 2,573 (46.40) | <0.0001 |
| Own computer/smartphone/tablet | 6,456 (87.95) | 4,727 (82.93) | <0.0001 |
| Above-median preventive behaviors (≥12) | 3,383 (45.03) | 2,625 (44.29) | 0.5473 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Depression | 2,085 (26.59) | 1,675 (27.84) | 0.2359 |
| Heart disease | 2,772 (33.20) | 2,027 (31.80) | 0.2361 |
| Cancer | 1,637 (20.72) | 1,217 (19.39) | 0.1738 |
| Hypertension | 4,931 (63.02) | 4,127 (66.54) | 0.0089 |
| Diabetes | 2,430 (32.63) | 2,135 (36.33) | 0.0094 |
| Osteoporosis/broken hip | 1,678 (20.99) | 1,317 (20.97) | 0.9835 |
| Asthma/COPD | 1,544 (19.43) | 1,219 (19.73) | 0.7463 |
| Stroke | 771 (9.14) | 610 (9.51) | 0.6144 |
| High cholesterol | 5,012 (65.46) | 4,124 (67.89) | 0.0486 |
| Immunocompromised | 1,474 (20.04) | 1,016 (17.52) | 0.0030 |
| Total unweighted | 7,724 | 6,046 | 13,770 |
Source: The Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey COVID-19 Supplements.
Total weighted population: 75,141,661. ADRD, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; TM, traditional Medicare; MA, Medicare advantage; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.