Medicare Advantage offers better access, superior outcomes at a lower cost

More than half of people who are eligible for Medicare now choose Medicare Advantage plans because of the stable, affordable benefits and quality, coordinated care these plans enable.¹

What’s more, the satisfaction among Medicare Advantage enrollees is exceptionally high, with 94% of MA beneficiaries satisfied with their health care coverage.²

This successful program delivers real value to people while driving improvements in health quality and patient outcomes. Conversely, the shortcomings of the current fee-for-service system — which is inefficient and ineffective, and consistently underdiagnoses serious health conditions — leaves patients with fewer options to treat diseases after they have progressed.

Ultimately, the move from fee-for-service to value-based care, championed by Medicare Advantage, is a paradigm shift for a health system that historically pays for volume, not value. It requires a new way of thinking about early detection and disease prevention.

This shift directly challenges the status quo, which has relied on treating a constant influx of sick patients and is burdened with the wrong financial incentives. But UnitedHealthcare also sees a different way forward - one that cares for patients before they are too sick for viable treatment and provides higher-quality outcomes at a lower cost.

Medicare Advantage is more affordable for patients and reduces costs for the broader health system, with supporting data including:

• People enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have saved 45% on premiums and out-of-pocket costs each year, which translates to an average savings of $2,800 annually compared to those in fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare.³
• In 2023, 73% of Medicare Advantage enrollees, including those in UnitedHealthcare plans, paid no monthly premium.⁴
• Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are hospitalized less frequently, with a 43% lower rate of avoidable hospitalizations for any condition.²
• People with three or more chronic conditions who are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage saved $2,583 annually.⁵

To learn more about the proven value of Medicare Advantage, visit https://medicareadvantage.uhc.com/.