In its annual report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission broke down the price tag for the Medicare program in 2012.
Medicare's spending includes acute, post-acute and ambulatory care, in addition to prescription drug coverage. Here are 10 statistics showing how much Medicare spent on different categories of care in 2012. Note: Individual amounts may not add up to the total because of rounding. "Other" includes items such as durable medical equipment and physician-administered drugs.
Medicare program spending in 2012 |
||
Spending category |
Dollars (in billions) |
Percent |
Inpatient hospital |
$140 |
24.4 |
Outpatient hospital |
$39 |
6.8 |
Skilled nursing facilities |
$28 |
4.9 |
Home health |
$19 |
3.3 |
Physician fee schedule |
$70 |
12.2 |
Medicare Advantage |
$136 |
23.7 |
Prescription drugs |
$67 |
11.7 |
Hospice |
$15 |
2.6 |
Administration |
$8 |
1.4 |
Other |
$52 |
9.1 |
Total |
$574 |
100 |
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