Kidney Transplant Rates Lower For Medicare Advantage Than Traditional Medicare

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) had a kidney transplant rate approximately 45% lower than beneficiaries with traditional Medicare during the first three years after ESKD beneficiaries became eligible to enroll in Medicare Advantage. From 2021 through 2023, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries received 2.51 kidney transplants per 1,000 person-months, compared with 4.60 among traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were also less likely to be placed on a transplant waitlist, with 3.05 listings per 1,000 person-months, compared with 4.64 among traditional Medicare beneficiaries. The findings raise questions about access to . . .