Medical Spending of the US Elderly

摘要: We use data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) to document medical spending of Americans aged 65 and older. find that expenses more than double between ages 70 90 they are very concentrated: top 10 per cent all spenders responsible for 52 per cent in a given year. In addition, those currently experiencing either low or high likely themselves same position future. also poor consume goods services rich have much larger share their covered by government. Overall, government pays over 65 per cent elderly's expenses. Despite this, remain after transfers even concentrated among small group people. Thus, health insurance, while potentially valuable, is far complete. Finally, before death can be large, on average constitute only fraction total spending, both aggregate life cycle. Hence, do not appear an important driver increasing found US.