How Much Skin in the Game is Enough? The Financial Burden of Health Spending for People on Medicare

How Much ” Skin in the Game ” is Enough? The Financial Burden of Health Spending for People on Medicare

Medicare extends health security and financial protection to seniors and younger people with disabilities. However, premiums, relatively high cost-sharing requirements, and gaps in the benefit package result in some beneficiaries spending a significant share of their income on health expenses.

This data spotlight examines the burden out-of-pocket expenses placed on Medicare beneficiaries between 1997 and 2006, and characteristics of those beneficiaries with the greatest financial burden relative to their income.

It is a product of the Foundation’s Project on Medicare’s Future.

Data Spotlight (.pdf)