A new Kaiser Family Foundation study provides a snapshot of Medicare beneficiaries who died at some point in 2014 and spending at the end of life.
Here are five findings:
1. Of the 2.6 million people who died in the United States in 2014, 2.1 million were Medicare beneficiaries.
2. More than 72 percent of Medicare decedents (those who died at some point in 2014) had traditional Medicare plans, and the remainder were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.
3. Average Medicare per capita spending for traditional Medicare beneficiaries who died at some point in 2014 was $34,529 — nearly four times higher than per capita spending for survivors (those who lived the entire year).
4. Per capita inpatient hospital spending among decedents was $17,574 in 2014, which is seven times higher than the $2,497 on average spent among survivors.
5. Medicare per capita spending was higher for decedents under 65 years in 2014 than for those over age 65 years.