County-Level Variation in Per Capita Spending for Multiple Chronic Conditions Among Fee-for-Service Medicare Beneficiaries, United States, 2014
GIS SNAPSHOT — Volume 13 — December 1, 2016
PEER REVIEWED
Map A depicts standardized per capita Medicare spending, in US dollars, for all covered services among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions. Map A shows geographic variation in per capita Medicare spending among the fee-for-service population aged 65 years or older with 6 or more chronic conditions. Northern Louisiana, western Alabama, northern Texas, and central Wyoming had the largest geographic concentrations of high per capita spending. Other areas with high spending were western Pennsylvania, the Chicago metropolitan area, and Los Angeles County. Northeast Wisconsin, northwest Michigan, western Oregon, and Upstate New York generally had lower levels of spending. Map B depicts clusters of counties whose per capita Medicare spending is similar to that of their neighboring counties and outliers of counties whose per capita spending is dissimilar to that of their neighbors. Medicare spending is for all covered services among beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions. Map B confirms that the areas noted in Map A are significant geographic clusters of per capita Medicare spending among the fee-for-service population aged 65 years or older with 6 or more chronic conditions. The highest geographic concentrations of high per capita spending include northern Louisiana, western Alabama, northern Texas, and central Wyoming; western Pennsylvania, northeast Wisconsin, northwest Michigan, western Oregon and Upstate New York had low levels of spending.
These maps show the geographic variation of standardized per capita Medicare spending, in US dollars, for all covered services among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with 6 or more chronic conditions, United States, 2014. The maps highlight the need for targeted chronic disease prevention programs and policies in areas with the highest levels of Medicare spending.
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