Health Insurance and Disparities in Mortality among Older Survivors of Critical Illness: A Population Study.
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:The 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries who survive intensive care each year have a high post-hospitalization mortality rate. We aimed to determine whether mortality after critical illness is higher for Medicare beneficiaries with Medicaid compared with those with commercial insurance. DESIGN:A retrospective cohort study from 2010 through 2014 with 1 year of follow-up using the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. SETTING:A New York State population-based study of older (age??65?y) survivors of intensive care. PARTICIPANTS:Adult Medicare beneficiaries age 65?years or older who were hospitalized with intensive care at a New York State hospital and survived to discharge. INTERVENTION:None. MEASUREMENT:Mortality in the first year after hospital discharge. RESULTS:The study included 340 969 Medicare beneficiary survivors of intensive care with a mean (standard deviation) age of 77 (8) years; 20% died within 1 year. There were 152 869 (45%) with commercial insurance, 78 577 (23%) with Medicaid, and 109 523 (32%) with Medicare alone. Compared with those with commercial insurance, those with Medicare alone had a similar 1-year mortality rate (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]?=?1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]?=?.99-1.04), and those with Medicaid had a 9% higher 1-year mortality rate (aHR?=?1.09; 95% CI?=?1.05-1.12). Among those discharged home, the 1-year mortality rate did not vary by insurance coverage, but among those discharged to skilled-care facilities (SCFs), the 1-year mortality rate was 16% higher for Medicaid recipients (aHR?=?1.16; 95% CI?=?1.12-1.21; P for interaction <.001). CONCLUSIONS:Older adults with Medicaid insurance have a higher 1-year post-hospitalization mortality compared with those with commercial insurance, especially among those discharged to SCFs. Future studies should investigate care disparities at SCFs that may mediate these higher mortality rates. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2497-2504, 2019.
SUBMITTER: Philpotts YF
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7208434 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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