The latest Medicare data shows that healthcare for the average senior in Miami costs twice the national average
From The Miami Herald here.
Once again a new survey shows Miami has by far the highest healthcare costs in the nation.
A study by Kaiser Health News of the latest available Medicare data shows that the costs of the average Miami senior’s healthcare beats out any area of the country.
The Miami senior averaged $18,199 in 2008, according to the report. That’s twice the national average. Adjusted for higher local wages and other factors, the Miami cost is $10,145 – 35 percent higher than the national average. . . .
For years, the Dartmouth Atlas research group has been analyzing why Miami’s costs are so much higher than elsewhere, even when adjusted for severity of illness and other factors. Their findings have shown that a major contributor appears to be the large number of physician specialists in the area, a situation that tends to lead to more visits to doctors and more diagnostic tests. The large number of hospital beds in the area may also drive up usage, Dartmouth has found.
For years, the Dartmouth analyses have found that Miami’s costs are twice as much as in Minneapolis. The latest study shows Minneapolis has actual costs of $7,415 per senior – making Miami 2.5 times more expensive.
The Kaiser story also noted that Miami is the spot where “federal prosecutors are intensely prosecuting Medicare fraud.” . . .
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