Medicare Advantage: what it means for seniors now and in the future
Official title: Medicare Advantage Today and Tomorrow
Funded at Harvard Medical School · NIH-11416697 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how Medicare Advantage plans affect access to care, costs, and patient experiences for people on Medicare.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Medical School NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2009 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $466,645 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AG032952-17 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416697 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Medicare beneficiaries—especially seniors enrolled in or considering Medicare Advantage plans—and their caregivers would be the most directly relevant group for the findings and any participation in related data or survey efforts.
✕Less likely to help
People without Medicare (for example, those under 65 with private insurance) would not see direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
From your perspective as someone on Medicare, this project examines how Medicare Advantage plans affect access to doctors, quality of care, and out-of-pocket costs. The team analyzes national Medicare and plan claims data, provider directories, and diagnosis coding patterns and compares outcomes for MA enrollees with people in traditional Medicare. They also study how payment rules, competition, and plan design (like networks and utilization management) influence plan behavior. The goal is to identify policy changes that could protect access and quality for beneficiaries.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to policy or payment changes that preserve access to specialists and improve care quality for Medicare beneficiaries in private plans.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has documented limited networks, claim denials, and coding concerns in Medicare Advantage, but comprehensive policy solutions remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard Medical School
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Landon, Bruce E. — Harvard Medical School
- Study coordinator: Landon, Bruce E.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.