When selecting a Medicare supplement package, it’s always important to know that you’re receiving the maximum amount and top quality of care at the best price. Regardless of your geographic residence in the US, ensuring that you receive care equal to that of neighboring states should always be a priority.
Recently released statistics regarding the average spending for Medicare subscribers in various states across the Midwest indicate an unlikely trend. According to Tulsa World, the average Medicare spending for a senior citizen in Kansas City, MO is $7,604 annually, while residents of Tulsa, OK subscribers receive an average annual coverage of $8556. These figures reveal a striking disparity between each state’s healthcare coverage – one that would seem to indicate better healthcare in the latter state, given the two areas are similar in population and socioeconomic makeup. However, this is hardly the case.
The Dartmouth Project – arguably the largest healthcare research initiative in the US – analyzed these statistics, along with many others, to reach a perplexing conclusion. Their recent ranking of states in terms of their overall healthcare quality listed Missouri 37th and Oklahoma 45th. The Dartmouth Project explains the various factors that account for this counterintuitive outcome.
“Researchers found that Medicare typically spends more in regions with more available resources, such as hospital beds, doctors and imaging centers. For comparison’s sake, Kansas City has fewer hospital beds per 100,000 residents than Tulsa or Oklahoma City, according to Dartmouth data.”
One specific outcome that stems from this theory is simply more hospitalizations.
“With more hospital beds available, researchers say doctors tend to use them. That results in more hospitalizations and higher costs, according to the research. Patients in high-spending regions are hospitalized more frequently, spend more time in the ICU, see physicians more frequently, and get more diagnostic tests than identical patients in lower-spending regions.”
Regardless of the reason for this disparity, ensuring equal Medicare coverage for residents of all states is important. You can guarantee your own security by investing in a Medicare supplement package today.
