Health Affairs Article: Medicare Doesn’t Work As Well For Younger, Disabled Beneficiaries As It Does For Older Enrollees
Younger Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities are much more likely than seniors in the program to report problems accessing and paying for needed medical services, Kaiser Family Foundation researchers report in this Health Affairs article.Based on a national random-sample survey of people on Medicare, the study finds that half of nonelderly disabled beneficiaries report problems paying for health care in the previous 12 months – nearly three times the rate reported by seniors (50 percent compared with18 percent). Similarly, 46 percent of nonelderly beneficiaries with disabilities report delaying or not getting health care services because of cost, compared with 16 percent of seniors.
via kff.org