Uninsured Americans Raise Medicare Expenditures

By Author: Mark Ramirez
Total Articles: 18
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A new study shows that Americans who were not insured before the age of 65 and gained access to Medicare cost the system exponentially more money than those who were previously insured with prior health insurance.

According to HealthDay, Data on more than 5,000 older people from a national study found that the previously uninsured needed 13 percent more doctors visits, experienced 20 percent more hospitalizations and had 51 percent higher total medical expenditures after their care began to be covered by the government program.

Dr. J. Michael McWilliams, a research associate in the Harvard Medical School department of health care policy and lead author of a report in the July 12 New England Journal of Medicine said, "Providing health insurance coverage for these adults [before age 65] could not only improve their health but also partially offset the costs of expanding coverage."

Chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, were found to be the most costly conditions among seniors. "This study demonstrates conclusively what common sense tells us -- that people with ...
... ongoing health care coverage are healthier people," said Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a consumer advocacy group based in New York City.

The solution to the problem would be to offer government covered healthcare assistance before the age of 65 in order to keep those entering into the system in better health. The report hits home in a time where the future of the American Healthcare System is being hotly debated.

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