Overview

Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes enrolled in chronic condition special needs plans (C-SNPs) experience better outcomes across several domains of care—primary care, inpatient use, and diabetes management—than they would in nonspecialized Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

SNPs are a type of MA plan that focus on, and limit enrollment to, certain Medicare beneficiaries, including those who are institutionalized, dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, or have specific chronic conditions. C-SNPs enroll approximately 15 percent of all SNP members.

Research shows that enrollment in a C-SNP can have positive effects. However, research comparing C-SNPs to other MA plans is limited. This analysis compares outcomes for beneficiaries with diabetes who are enrolled in diabetes C-SNPs with those enrolled in non-SNP MA plans. It finds an additional positive impact on clinical outcomes and care use attributable to C-SNP enrollment.