Full Citation
Title: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Medicare Costs in U.S. Gulf Coast States
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2019
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000015589
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: Medicare utilization and costs for residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast, who are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, may be impacted by their disaster exposure. To estimate differences in healthcare utilization by disaster exposure, we calculated Medicare expenditures among residents of U.S. Gulf States and compared them with expenditures among residents of other regions of the U.S. Panel models were used to calculate changes in overall Medicare expenditures, inpatient expenditures, and home health expenditures for 32,819 Medicare beneficiaries. Individual demographic characteristics were included as predictors of change in expenditures. Medicare beneficiaries with National Health Interview Survey participation were identified and Part A claims were linked. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) data was used to determine counties that experienced no, some, high, and extreme hazard exposure. FEMA data was merged with Medicare claims data to create a panel dataset from 2001 to 2007. Medicare Part A claims for the years 2001 to 2007 were merged with FEMA data related to disasters in each U.S. County. Overall Medicare costs, as well as costs for inpatient and home health care for residents of states located along the U.S. Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) were compared to costs for residents of the rest of the U.S. Expenditures among residents of U.S. Gulf States decreased with increased hazard exposure. Decreases in inpatient expenditures persisted in the years following a disaster. The use of beneficiary-level data highlights the potential for natural hazards to impact health care costs. This study demonstrates the possibility that . . .
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Horney, Jennifer; Rosenheim, Nathanael; Zhao, Hongwei; Radcliff, Tiffany
Periodical (Full): Medicine
Issue: 19
Volume: 98
Pages: 6
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Other, Population Health and Health Systems
Countries: