COVID-19 hospitalizations highest among Black, chronically ill Medicare patients

CMS released its first monthly update of COVID-19 data on Medicare patients July 28, which found Black and dual-eligible members, who often have chronic illnesses, were much more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19. 

Four key data points to know: 

1. At 670 hospitalizations per 100,000 beneficiaries, Black Medicare patients with COVID-19 are being hospitalized at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups. American Indian/Alaskan Native beneficiaries have the second highest hospitalization rate.

2. Patients who have dual Medicare and Medicaid coverage, who often have multiple chronic conditions, were hospitalized at a rate more than 4.5 times higher than beneficiaries who just had Medicare. 

3. Medicare patients with end-stage renal disease continue to be hospitalized at higher rates than other beneficiaries. Their hospitalization rate is 1,911 per 100,000 beneficiaries. 

4. CMS has paid $2.8 billion in Medicare fee-for-service claims for COVID-19-related hospitalizations. That averages to about $25,255 a Medicare patient.

Read more here.

Copyright © 2025 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.


You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy
.
 

Articles We Think You'll Like