Signal of the Day · SNF / Post-Acute
Health Affairs 5-state study: Medicare Advantage cuts post-acute use ~17.5% SNF, ~30.6% IRF, no measurable short-term harm
A mandatory-MA natural experiment across five states finds Medicare Advantage sharply reduces skilled-nursing and inpatient-rehab admissions without a detectable short-term effect on mortality or days at home — a cleaner causal read than prior observational work, and the evidence MA plans will cite to defend AI-driven utilization management.