CMS looks at MA enrollees use of Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) examining this data by type of entitlement, demographic characteristics including whether they are dual eligible and by area of residence. The data shows the percentage of MA enrollees with a SNF stay has remained fairly constant between 2016 and 2019, but the length of those stays are 11% shorter in 2019 than in 2016 with roughly 3.6 fewer days per person and almost 3 fewer days per admission. When examining demographics of the 2019 MA population, CMS notes nearly 41% of MA enrollees were dual eligible. In addition, while non-Hispanic whites represent nearly 75% of all SNF admissions, they are only 67.5% of the MA population in 2019. Similarly Black or African American MA enrollees represented 12.5% of the enrolled population but 14.5% of the SNF admissions. In contrast, Hispanic enrollees have disproportionately fewer SNF stays (7.7%) representing 13.7% of the enrolled population. It comes as no surprise that those age 85-94 have roughly 138.29 admissions per 1,000 Medicare Advantage Part A enrollees compared to 26.96 admissions per 1000 for those age 65-74. Interestingly, the data shows that those under 65 years old have longer lengths of stay in SNF (avg. 28.21 days per admission) than those over 65 (avg. 21.19 days). Finally, the data shows considerable variation among states in not only their use of SNFs but also their total days per admission. Rhode Island has the highest number of SNF admissions per 1000 MA enrollees at 88.12 per 1000 but also the fewest days in SNF once admitted at 16.45 per admission. The detailed report and spreadsheet can be found HERE.
