Table 1. Sample Characteristics of Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Enrollees.
| Characteristic | TM enrollees (n = 4803) | MA enrollees (n = 1824) |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted No. | 29 989 735 | 13 509 965 |
| Individual-level characteristics of demographic, socioeconomic, and health status | ||
| Age, No. (%), y | ||
| <65 | 812 (16.9) | 190 (10.4) |
| 65-70 | 720 (15.0) | 326 (17.9) |
| 71-75 | 1001 (20.8) | 412 (22.6) |
| 76-80 | 829 (17.3) | 336 (18.4) |
| >80 | 1441 (30.0) | 560 (30.7) |
| Men, No. (%) | 2243 (46.7) | 806 (44.2) |
| Women, No. (%) | 2560 (53.3) | 1018 (55.8) |
| Race and ethnicity, No. (%) | ||
| Hispanic | 292 (6.1) | 196 (10.7) |
| Non-Hispanic | ||
| Asian | 55 (1.1) | 22 (1.2) |
| Black | 505 (10.5) | 191 (10.5) |
| White | 3890 (81.0) | 1387 (76.0) |
| Othera | 160 (3.3) | 65 (3.6) |
| Education, No. (%) | ||
| <High school | 688 (14.3) | 324 (17.8) |
| High school completion | 1757 (36.6) | 738 (40.5) |
| ≥College degree | 2344 (48.8) | 759 (41.6) |
| Income, No. (%), $ | ||
| <25 000 | 1895 (39.5) | 823 (45.1) |
| 25 000-40 000 | 1306 (27.2) | 556 (30.5) |
| ≥40 000 | 1602 (33.4) | 445 (24.4) |
| Medicare-Medicaid dual eligibility, No. (%) | 780 (16.2) | 181 (9.9) |
| Married, No. (%) | 2409 (50.2) | 953 (52.2) |
| Self-reported comorbidity, No. (%) | ||
| Atherosclerosis | 510 (10.6) | 187 (10.3) |
| Hypertension | 3356 (69.9) | 1251 (68.6) |
| Myocardial infarction | 602 (12.5) | 227 (12.4) |
| Stroke | 500 (10.4) | 198 (10.9) |
| Coronary heart disease | 542 (11.3) | 218 (12.0) |
| Cancer | 1838 (38.3) | 613 (33.6) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 802 (16.7) | 285 (15.6) |
| Diabetes | 1529 (31.8) | 602 (33.0) |
| Alzheimer disease and related dementias | 165 (3.4) | 55 (3.0) |
| Mental illness | 1469 (30.6) | 481 (26.4) |
| General perceived health status, No. (%) | ||
| Good | 3785 (78.8) | 1483 (81.3) |
| Poor | 1018 (21.2) | 341 (18.7) |
| ADL limitations, No. (%) | ||
| 0 | 2720 (56.6) | 1113 (61.0) |
| 1-2 | 1219 (25.4) | 427 (23.4) |
| ≥3 | 864 (18.0) | 284 (15.6) |
| County-level characteristics of MA plan offering | ||
| Total No. of MA plans, mean (SD) | 11.7 (7.4) | 14.7 (7.4) |
| Star rating, mean (SD) | ||
| 2-2.5 | 0.2 (0.6) | 0.2 (0.6) |
| 3-3.5 | 4.6 (4.8) | 5.8 (5.4) |
| 4-4.5 | 6.5 (5.1) | 8.2 (5.0) |
| 5 | 0.4 (1.1) | 0.5 (1.1) |
| Plan type, mean (SD), No. of plans for a given county | ||
| HMO | 6.8 (6.4) | 9.2 (7.2) |
| PPO | ||
| Local | 3.1 (2.7) | 3.4 (2.8) |
| Regional | 1.4 (1.2) | 1.4 (1.3) |
| Other | 0.5 (1.8) | 0.6 (2.4) |
| Monthly plan premium, mean (SD), $ | ||
| 0 | 3.7 (4.5) | 5.5 (5.4) |
| >0-50 | 2.8 (2.4) | 3.4 (2.8) |
| >50-100 | 2.5 (1.6) | 2.6 (1.7) |
| >100 | 2.7 (2.8) | 3.1 (3.0) |
| Maximum out-of-pocket limit, mean (SD), $ | ||
| 0-3000 | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.9 (1.8) |
| >3000-4500 | 3.8 (4.0) | 4.8 (4.0) |
| >4500-6000 | 2.1 (1.9) | 2.7 (2.1) |
| >6000 | 5.3 (4.4) | 6.3 (4.7) |
| Primary independent variables, No. (%) | ||
| I have the information I need to make an informed comparison among different health insurance choices | ||
| Disagree (completely or somewhat disagree) | 1786 (37.2) | 628 (34.4) |
| Agree (completely or somewhat agree) | 3017 (62.8) | 1196 (65.6) |
| How easy would you say it is for you to review and compare your Medicare coverage options? | ||
| Difficult (very or somewhat difficult) | 964 (20.1) | 307 (16.8) |
| Easy (very or somewhat easy) | 3839 (79.9) | 1517 (83.2) |
| How often do you review or compare your Medicare coverage options? | ||
| Never, rarely, or once every few years | 2782 (57.9) | 806 (44.2) |
| At least once every year | 2021 (42.1) | 1018 (55.8) |
Abbreviations: ADL, activities of daily living; HMO, health maintenance organization; MA, Medicare Advantage; PPO, preferred provider organization; TM, traditional Medicare.
a
Other included single races not of Hispanic origin (including American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian) or individuals who were 2 or more races.