Government
Near-elderly without insurance are less healthy when they hit Medicare eligibility
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 23, 2007
People who were uninsured before coming into Medicare require more intense and expensive care once they start receiving benefits at age 65, according to a new Harvard Medical School study. Previously uninsured beneficiaries had chronic conditions that required substantially more care -- at least through age 72 -- than those who had private insurance before becoming Medicare eligible. The differences were the starkest for people with diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, found the study, which appears in the July 12 New England Journal of Medicine.
"Providing health insurance coverage for uninsured near-elderly adults may not only improve their health, but also reduce their annual health care use after age 65," said author J. Michael McWilliams, MD, a internist and Harvard researcher. "Particularly for those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, these benefits are likely to be substantial and may partially offset the costs of expanding coverage."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/07/23/gvbf0723.htm.
