DataPoint: Medicare Beneficiaries, 2018

Sixty million Americans were enrolled in Medicare in 2018, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The 2018 CMS data indicated that 3.8 million Medicare beneficiaries were new enrollees, representing 6.3 percent of overall enrollment. Medicare beneficiaries age 85 and older represented 11 percent of enrollment. In addition, 82 percent of those receiving Medicare benefits lived in urban metro areas. Medicare Advantage represented 36 percent of enrollment, up from 34 percent in 2017. Dual enrollment, meaning eligibility for both Medicare and Medicaid, was available to 18 percent of enrollees, or 10.8 million beneficiaries.

The most common chronic health conditions among Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries were high blood pressure (57 percent), high cholesterol (48 percent), and arthritis (34 percent). Among use of Medicare services by the FFS Medicare population, post-acute care services had a 10 percent utilization rate.

To view a data snapshot of Medicare beneficiaries, click here.

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