End-of-life home health use and duration were lower in Medicare Advantage vs traditional Medicare for nearly all populations.
Medicare-funded home health provides critical support through nursing, social work, rehabilitation, and aide visits for homebound adults needing skilled care. This support is particularly relevant for Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black older adults who access hospice services at lower rates than White adults.1,2
Enrollees in Medicare Advantage (MA), who are disproportionately from racially or ethnically minoritized communities, are less likely to receive home health and use fewer days of services compared with those in traditional Medicare ™.3,4 This study assessed whether MA enrollment was associated with greater racial and ethnic disparities in home health use during the last year of life compared with TM enrollment.
