Report Finds Significant Geographic Quality Differences in Medicare Advantage Plans

The researchers added that policymakers should look into geographic variations, such as the fact that seven states and the District of Columbia do not have any Medicare Advantage plans available with four or more stars.

"With one in five Medicare Advantage enrollees in plans with fewer than three stars, policymakers may want to focus greater oversight and attention on plans with relatively low quality ratings," they added.

Researchers based the analysis on ratings posted by CMS on the Medicare Compare Web site with additional information from the CMS Plan Directory and enrollment files. They reviewed the summary scores for the plans, which are an overall measure of the quality of care, access of care, responsiveness, and beneficiary satisfaction provided by the plans. The researchers did not attempt to assess the validity of the quality ratings.

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