DataPoint: Heart Failure Disparities

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018 approximately 6.5 million adults in the United States had heart failure. Heart conditions represent a common and expensive health problem among Medicare beneficiaries. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot fill with enough blood to meet the body’s needs. According to the American Heart Association, one in five Americans 40 and older will develop heart failure. Heart conditions are more common among people 65 and older and one of the most common causes of hospital admissions among Medicare beneficiaries. Nationwide, direct medical costs associated with heart disease totaled $281 billion in 2015. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicates that 14.5 percent of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries had a diagnosis of heart failure in 2018, a decrease from 16.6 percent in 2009.

In 2015, heart disease was the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including Black Americans (23.5 percent). In addition, among Medicare FFS beneficiaries, Black Americans are more commonly diagnosed with heart failure when compared to other minority populations.

To access the CMS Data Snapshot on heart failure disparities, click here.

Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820