This report from America's Health Insurance Plans explores Medicare Advantage coverage, particularly in regards to coverage for minorities and low-income individuals.

From the report:

New data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) show that Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare’s private comprehensive health plans, were a vital source of coverage for low-income and minority beneficiaries in 2008. Here are some key findings:

• According to the 2008 MCBS, virtually all non-institutionalized Medicare beneficiaries lived in areas where at least one Medicare Advantage plan was available.
• Among Medicare beneficiaries in all areas, 21 percent were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Twenty-five (25) percent of African-American Medicare beneficiaries and 29 percent of Hispanic beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.
• Forty-two (42) percent of Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Advantage plans had incomes below $20,000. By comparison, 41 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries had incomes below $20,000.
• Sixty-nine (69) percent of all minority (non-White) beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage in 2008 had incomes below $20,000; 70 percent of African-American and 80 percent of Hispanic Medicare Advantage beneficiaries had incomes below $20,000. By comparison, 37 percent of White Medicare Advantage enrollees had incomes below $20,000.

Full Report: Low-Income & Minority Beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage Plans, 2008 (PDF | 124 KB)

America's Health Insurance Plans. (2010). Low-income & minority beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans, 2008.