Our Health Policy Matters

You would expect Medicare to spend about the same for a man with heart, lung, or kidney disease as it does for a woman.  And if you looked at the actual numbers, you would not be surprised.  On average, it does.  So why does Medicare spend so much more on men when you couple these disease with depression? That is a question that deserves an answer. The startling numbers, which show just how wide the disparity is, are in the chart accompanying this column.  They are very similar to some others that I shared in my column last week . They all come from the 2010 CMS Medicare public use data files , the most recent ones available.  The CMS file includes information on all 48 million Medicare recipients.  Last week, I wrote that men with depression in the 65-69 year old age group enjoyed an 11% Medicare spending advantage over women in the same age group.  (The men were those on Medicare only, not both Medicare and Medicaid.)  I als...

You would expect Medicare to spend about the same for a man with heart, lung, or kidney disease as it does for a woman.  And if you looked at the actual numbers, you would not be surprised.  On average, it does.  So why does Medicare spend so much more on men when you couple these disease with depression? That is a question that deserves an answer. The startling numbers, which show just how wide the disparity is, are in the chart accompanying this column.  They are very similar to some others that I shared in my column last week . They all come from the 2010 CMS Medicare public use data files , the most recent ones available.  The CMS file includes information on all 48 million Medicare recipients.  Last week, I wrote that men with depression in the 65-69 year old age group enjoyed an 11% Medicare spending advantage over women in the same age group.  (The men were those on Medicare only, not both Medicare and Medicaid.)  I als...

Are women with depression more stoic than men, or are men just getting preferential treatment? According to the National Institute on Mental Health, women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience depression during their lifetime.  Depression hits women harder than men in nearly every age group. But if some fascinating data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are any indication, we also spend a lot less on treating them than we do men.    Are women more stoic, or are we just neglecting their mental health needs? The data that shed some disturbing light on this subject come from the CMS Chronic Conditions Public Use Files .  These files include data for every 2010 Medicare beneficiary – approximately 48 million people. In 2010, according to the CMS data, 9296 men between the ages of 65 and 69 who were newly-enrolled in Medicare Part B had depression and no other chronic condition.  And so did many more newly-enroll...

Are women with depression more stoic than men, or are men just getting preferential treatment? According to the National Institute on Mental Health, women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience depression during their lifetime.  Depression hits women harder than men in nearly every age group. But if some fascinating data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are any indication, we also spend a lot less on treating them than we do men.    Are women more stoic, or are we just neglecting their mental health needs? The data that shed some disturbing light on this subject come from the CMS Chronic Conditions Public Use Files .  These files include data for every 2010 Medicare beneficiary – approximately 48 million people. In 2010, according to the CMS data, 9296 men between the ages of 65 and 69 who were newly-enrolled in Medicare Part B had depression and no other chronic condition.  And so did many more newly-enroll...