Non-Metropolitan/Metropolitan Differences in Barriers to Care and Utilization of Preventive Care and Wellness Visits Among Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment has grown substantially in recent years, but there is limited research on individual-level non-metropolitan/metropolitan differences in barriers to accessing care and utilization of preventive services and wellness visits across plan types. This project examined two questions:

1. What differences in disparities exist between non-metropolitan and metropolitan beneficiaries in barriers to accessing care across MA and traditional beneficiaries?
2. What differences in disparities exist between non-metropolitan and metropolitan beneficiaries in the use of preventive services and wellness visits across MA and traditional beneficiaries?

Publications

• Rural-Urban Differences in Barriers to Care and Utilization of Preventive Care Among Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
  Policy Brief
  RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Date: 11/2025
  This policy brief examined rural and urban differences in barriers to care and use of preventive care services among enrollees in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage.