DataPoint: Medicare Beneficiary Profile

Based on a 2015 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) national study, 35 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were 75-plus, and 4 percent lived in a facility at least partially during 2015. Of the beneficiaries that lived in a long term care (LTC) facility for the full year, 50 percent were at least 85. Full-year residents of LTC facilities self-reported lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and hypertension than elderly Medicare beneficiaries living in the community. The Medicare study found that 57 percent of beneficiaries living in the community reported arthritis, while 16 percent of full-year LTC residents also reported having arthritis.

The 2015 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Annual Chartbook and Slides is available here.

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