Address correspondence to Gerald F. Riley, M.S.P.H., Office of Research Development and Information, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd., Mail Stop C3-21-28, Baltimore, MD 21244; e-mail: gerald.riley@cms.hhs.gov. James D. Lubitz, M.P.H. (retried), was formerly with the Division of Analysis and Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics.
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Long-Term Trends in Medicare Payments in the Last Year of Life
Article first published online: 9 FEB 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2010.01082.x
© Health Research and Educational Trust
Additional Information
How to Cite
Riley, G. F. and Lubitz, J. D. (2010), Long-Term Trends in Medicare Payments in the Last Year of Life. Health Services Research, 45: 565–576. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2010.01082.x
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Address correspondence to Gerald F. Riley, M.S.P.H., Office of Research Development and Information, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd., Mail Stop C3-21-28, Baltimore, MD 21244; e-mail: gerald.riley@cms.hhs.gov. James D. Lubitz, M.P.H. (retried), was formerly with the Division of Analysis and Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 8 MAR 2010
- Article first published online: 9 FEB 2010
Keywords:
- End-of-life care;
- Medicare;
- health care costs;
- elderly
Objective. To update research on Medicare payments in the last year of life.
Data Sources. Continuous Medicare History Sample, containing annual summaries of claims data on a 5 percent sample from 1978 to 2006.
Study Design. Analyses were based on elderly beneficiaries in fee for service. For each year, Medicare payments were assigned either to decedents (persons in their last year) or to survivors (all others).
Results. The share of Medicare payments going to persons in their last year of life declined slightly from 28.3 percent in 1978 to 25.1 percent in 2006. After adjustment for age, sex, and death rates, there was no significant trend.
Conclusions. Despite changes in the delivery of medical care over the last generation, the share of Medicare expenditures going to beneficiaries in their last year has not changed substantially.