Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (Propensity Score) using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
Does the racial/ethnic composition of Medicare Advantage plans reflect their areas of operation?
Robin Weinick1, Amelia Haviland, Katrin Hambarsoomian
1Rand Health, Rand Corporation, Arlington, VA.
Objective:
To assess the extent to which the racial/ethnic composition of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans reflects the composition of their areas of operation, given the potential incentives created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Quality Bonus Payments for such plans to avoid enrolling racial/ethnic minority beneficiaries.
Data Sources/Study Setting:
2009 Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MCAHPS) survey and administrative data from the Medicare Enrollment Database.
Data Collection/Extraction Methods:
We defined each plan's area of operation as all counties in which it had MA enrollees, and we created a matrix of race/ethnicity by plan by county of residence to assess the racial/ethnic distribution of each plan's enrollees in comparison with the racial/ethnic composition of MA beneficiaries in its operational area.
Principal Findings:
There is little evidence that health plans are selectively underenrolling blacks, Latinos, or Asians to a substantial degree. A small but potentially important subset of plans disproportionately serves minority beneficiaries.
Conclusions:
These findings provide a baseline profile that will enable crucial ongoing monitoring to assess how the implementation of Quality Bonus Payments may affect MA plan coverage of minority populations.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Standards of Care I
Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
Surveys