CMS COVID-19 'Snapshot' Updates Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries

New data confirm that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities.

African-American Medicare beneficiaries continue to be hospitalized at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups, with 670 hospitalizations per 100,000 beneficiaries, according to an updated "snapshot" from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

By comparison, white Medicare beneficiaries saw 175 hospitalizations per 100,000, the new data show.

CMS says snapshot confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities.

"This is due, in part, to the higher rates of chronic health conditions in these populations and issues related to the social determinants of health," CMS said in a media release.

The snapshot also found that:

• American Indian/Alaskan Native beneficiaries have the second-highest rate of hospitalization for COVID-19 among racial/ethnic groups, with 550 hospitalizations per 100,000.
   
• CMS said it has paid $2.8 billion in Medicare fee-for-service claims for COVID-related hospitalizations, an average of $25,255 per beneficiary.
   
• "Dual eligible" Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries – who are often poor and suffering from multiple chronic conditions – were hospitalized at a rate more than 5 times higher than Medicare-only beneficiaries (719 versus 153 per 100,000).
   
• Beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease are hospitalized at higher rates than other Medicare beneficiaries, with 1,911 hospitalizations per 100,000 beneficiaries, compared with 241 per 100,000 for aged and 226 per 100,000 for disabled.

The updated data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations of Medicare beneficiaries spans January 1 to June 20 and is based on Medicare claims and encounter data CMS received by July 17.