An analysis of claims data shows stark racial disparities among Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19.
"We need to recognize the urgency in this moment to expand how we think about health care's role in promoting health," she says."As physicians and health care delivery systems, we need to prioritize addressing our patient's health related social needs such as food and housing."
The majority of Medicare beneficiaries are over 65, though the program also covers some younger people with disabilities or end-stage renal disease. Verma notes that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected people who are dually eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare, which includes both low-income older adults and some people with disabilities. This group was more likely to be hospitalized than other Medicare beneficiaries.
Overall, more than 325,000 Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the time period covered — from Jan. 1 through May 16, 2020 — and nearly 110,000 were hospitalized for treatment for the disease. The CMS data, released Monday, is based off Medicare claims filed during this period, and is incomplete, CMS officials warned, because some claims for that period may not have been filed yet.
Even so, it is in line with other data that has found that COVID-19 hits communities of color particularly hard. For example,
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