. 2011 Aug;46(4):1039–1058. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01245.x

Table 3.

Adjusted Disparities in Medicare Advantage (MA) and Fee-For-Service (FFS), by Vulnerability Characteristic^†

	Female (versus Male)	Hispanic (versus Non-Hispanic White)	Black (versus Non-Hispanic White)	Age 85 or Older	Less Than High Schoo lEducation	LIS Deemed Eligible	Fair/Poor General Health
Rate doctor
Disparity within MA^‡	1.16^***	1.05^***	0.24	0.11	1.35^***	0.08	−1.29^***
Disparity within FFS^‡	1.26^***	1.01^***	−0.03	−0.11	1.13^***	0.65^***	−0.84^***
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)^§	−0.10	0.04	0.27	0.21	0.21	−0.57^*	−0.45^*
Rate specialist
Disparity within MA	0.79^***	0.29	−1.79^***	−0.15	1.32^***	0.48	−1.18^**
Disparity within FFS	1.12^***	0.20	−0.55	−0.65	1.01^***	0.11	−1.02^**
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.33	0.09	−1.24^*	0.50	0.31	0.37	−0.16
Doctor communication
Disparity within MA	0.49^**	0.47	1.04^***	−0.33	0.74^***	0.02	−1.87
Disparity within FFS	0.53^***	1.00^**	1.07^***	−0.87^**	0.27	0.11	−1.40
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.04	−0.53	−0.03	0.54	0.47	−0.09	−0.48
Rate MA plan/Medicare (FFS)
Disparity within MA	1.43^***	0.14	−1.05^***	1.68^***	1.88^***	1.86^***	−2.52^***
Disparity within FFS	2.16^***	2.22^***	0.11	2.68^***	2.94^***	4.09^***	0.33
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.73^***	−2.08^***	−1.16^**	−1.00^**	−1.06^***	−2.22^***	−2.84^***
Rate care
Disparity within MA	1.13^***	−0.74^*	−2.30^***	0.19	0.81^***	0.15	−3.00^***
Disparity within FFS	1.63^***	−1.13^**	−2.85^***	0.49	−0.11	−0.24	−2.33^***
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.50^*	0.39	0.55	−0.29	0.92^***	0.39	−0.66^**
Getting needed care
Disparity within MA	−0.47^*	−1.83^***	−1.90^***	0.37	1.47^***	−0.52	−2.10^***
Disparity within FFS	0.07	−1.11^*	−1.40^***	0.41	0.92^***	−0.18	−0.56
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.54^*	−0.72	−0.50	−0.04	0.55	−0.34	−1.54^***
Getting care quickly
Disparity within MA	1.04^***	−5.18^***	−4.01^***	−0.06	−1.34^***	0.06	0.15
Disparity within FFS	0.96^***	−4.18^***	−2.27^***	0.33	−1.99^***	−0.42	1.40^***
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	0.08	−1.00	−1.73^*	−0.39	0.65	0.47	−1.25^***
Paperwork
Disparity within MA	0.41	−4.52^***	−0.75	−2.81^*	−3.79^***	−1.90	−2.96^*
Disparity within FFS	−0.08	−2.96^*	0.76	−0.01	−4.46^***	−0.26	−0.55
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	0.50	−1.56	−1.51	−2.80^*	0.67	−1.64	−2.40^**
Rate PDP
Disparity within MA	1.61^***	2.35^***	1.26^***	3.85^***	2.34^***	6.37^***	−2.21^***
Disparity within FFS	2.09^***	−1.32^**	−0.08	3.41^***	3.01^***	9.47^***	−1.18^***
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.48	3.66^***	1.33^**	0.43	−0.67^*	−3.10^***	−1.02^***
PDP: getting Rx drugs
Disparity within MA	0.89^***	−2.05^***	−2.70^***	−0.49	−0.78^**	−0.15	−0.97^**
Disparity within FFS	1.33^***	−4.77^***	−2.91^***	0.73^*	0.40^*	0.51^**	−0.77^**
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.44	2.72^***	0.21	−1.22^**	−1.17^***	−0.66	−0.20
PDP: getting information
Disparity within MA	0.45	−3.52^***	−4.57^***	−0.03	−1.61^**	1.18	−2.86^***
Disparity within FFS	0.63	−3.82^***	−1.43^*	2.49^***	−0.25	2.99^***	−1.46^*
Difference in disparities (MA–FFS)	−0.18	0.30	−3.15^**	−2.52^*	−1.37	−1.81^*	−1.40^*
Count of significant negative differences in disparities (MA–FFS)	3	1	4	4	3	4	8
Count of significant positive differences in disparities (MA–FFS)	0	2	1	0	1	0	0

^†

Each row represents a single model predicting a given outcome from all column subgroup indicators, and MA indicator, all subgroup by MA interactions, and additional covariates described above.

^‡

“Vulnerable”–“Less Vulnerable”, so a negative value reflects a less positive experience for the “vulnerable” beneficiaries than the less “vulnerable” beneficiaries.

^§

A difference-of-differences such that a negative value reflects a negative disparity that is larger or a positive disparity that is smaller for “vulnerable” beneficiaries in MA when compared with FFS.

p<0.05

^**

p<0.01

^***

p<0.001.

LIS, low-income subsidy.