COVID-19 hits black and dual-eligible Medicare patients hardest

Among Medicare beneficiaries, dual-eligible individuals and members of racial and ethnic minorities experienced the highest rates of hospitalization in the first half of 2020. A snapshot of Medicare data released by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday showed Medicare beneficiaries made up a quarter of reported U.S. coronavirus cases and accounted for more than 160,000 hospitalizations. Dual-eligible beneficiaries (those also enrolled Medicaid) were five times as likely to be hospitalized as people enrolled in Medicare alone, and black beneficiaries were hospitalized at higher rates than members of other racial and ethnic groups. Hospitalization rates were highest among beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease. (Modern Healthcare story, 7/28/20)