Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Data Driven Leadership in Medicare Advantage with Jennifer L. Kowalski of Elevance Health
Mar 8, 2026
Jennifer L. Kowalski, Vice President at Elevance Health’s Public Policy Institute, leads data-driven research on Medicare Advantage and supplemental benefits. She discusses how rigorous evidence shapes strategy, tackles misconceptions about value and access, and explores integrating Medicare and Medicaid for dual eligibles. Conversations also cover affordability, care navigation, and using research to guide policy and innovation.
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Medicare Advantage Adds Tangible Member Value
- Medicare Advantage delivers value through integrated benefits like prescription drug coverage, coordinated care, and supplemental benefits that improve outcomes.
- PPI research links use of vision, dental, transportation, and healthy grocery benefits to better outcomes and appropriate utilization, especially for chronic conditions like diabetes.
Medicare Advantage Can Improve Specialist Access
- Access concerns about MA networks can be overstated; after adjusting for factors, MA members can have shorter specialist wait times than traditional Medicare with Medigap.
- PPI upcoming research specifically found shorter wait times to see neurologists for MA members versus traditional Medicare.
Medicare Advantage Slows Medicare Spending Growth
- Higher Medicare Advantage penetration correlates with slower total Medicare spending growth due to spillover incentives.
- PPI and independent analyses suggest MA's incentives for high-value care influence provider behavior for all Medicare patients and curb fraud and waste.