Texas Hold 'Em: Medicare Spends High, Private Insurers Pay Even
Major Finding: Total price-adjusted Medicare spending was 86% higher in McAllen than in El Paso, and was 75% above the national average in 2007. In contrast, for private insurance patients under age 65, total spending per member per year in McAllen was 7% lower than in El Paso.
Data Source: Price-adjusted Medicare claims data for 2007 and 2008 data for 65,701 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members under age 65 in McAllen and El Paso.
Disclosures: The authors had no relevant financial disclosures.
FROM HEALTH AFFAIRS
The researchers acknowledge that their study is limited by a lack of good data on pricing, outcomes, and clinical services for the population under age 65. Also, the sample population was not representative of the entire under-65 population in the two cities.
