Medicare assets and expenditures

Commentary May 12, 2008 at 08:00 PM
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  • 30.8%: Percent of health care spending in the United States that goes to hospital care.
  • 21.2%: Percent of U.S. health care spending that goes to physician or clinical services.
  • 10.1%: Percent of U.S. health care spending that goes to prescriptions.
  • 2.4%: Percent of U.S. health expenditures that pays for home health care.
  • 6.1%: Percent of U.S. health expenditures that pays for nursing home care.
  • 13%: Percent of U.S. health expenditures made up by dental and other professional health services, and medical equipment.
  • 16.4%: Percent of U.S. health expenditures made up by administrative and private health insurance costs, research, etc.
  • 90%: Percentage of Medicare dollars spent on treating chronic diseases for beneficiaries 65 and older.
  • 55%: Percentage of total health care costs paid for by private funds.
  • 45%: Percentage of health care costs paid by public programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
  • 44 million: Approximate number of people on Medicare.
  • 90%: Percentage of people on Medicare with some kind of supplemental insurance.
  • 44.1 million: Number of people in 2007 covered by Medicare; 36.9 million were aged 65 and older, and 7.2 million were disabled.*
  • $425 billion: Total benefits paid by Medicare in 2007.*
  • $462 billion: Medicare income for 2007.*
  • $432 billion: Medicare expenditures for 2007.*
  • $369 billion: Medicare assets held in special issue U.S. Treasury.*

Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
*Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services