Healthcare Equity

Community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries who are Black and/or Latino/a are more likely than white beneficiaries to report difficulty managing activities of daily living, according to a databook released by ATI Advisory (ATI) with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Activities of daily living include dressing, bathing, walking across the room, transferring in and out of bed or chair, using the toilet, and eating.

Beneficiaries who are Black or Latino/a are more likely than white beneficiaries to report difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs) and other conditions that can negatively impact their health. Understanding the experiences of individuals reporting difficulty with ADLs across race and ethnicity can help policymakers develop strategies to address inequities. This databook, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, conveys research findings on the racial and ethnic disparities among this population across social determinants of health, natural community supports, and health care experiences.

ATI Advisory in partnership with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) sought to explore the evidence and needs of dementia caregivers that might inform a Medicare model test related to dementia care. On July 31, 2023, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) released the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model that includes explicit support for caregivers and is set to launch in July 2024.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the first 10 drugs to be negotiated by Medicare. As CMS and pharmaceutical manufacturers prepare for negotiations, they will consider not only the effectiveness of these drugs, but also their financial performance and investment over the years. To create a public benchmark of these measures, ATI collected data from FDA labels, Evaluate Pharma and Omnium databases, the CMS spending dashboard, and proprietary data. For each drug, we present a summary of its time on the market, use in Medicare, clinical development activity and investment, global and U.S. sales, its position in the manufacturer’s portfolio, and deal history.

Understanding differences in Medicare beneficiary experiences by race and ethnicity across Medicare Advantage and FFS Medicare can help policymakers and business leaders identify opportunities for health equity and continual improvement across both pathways to Medicare coverage.

With support from West Health Institute, ATI Advisory created a compendium of more than 40 innovative models and programs that can help meet the behavioral health needs of the older adult population. ATI’s analysis includes policy and financing considerations to help identify and translate attributes that support scale and enable sustainability for stakeholders. These include state, community-based organizations and managed care plans looking to develop or implement integrated behavioral health strategies for older adults.