III. Use of health facilities--Continued Table 23. Comparison of skilled nursing home bed-population Table 24. Persons 65 and over in homes for the aged and depend- IV. Economic data on medical care: Table 25. Percentage distribution of persons, by level of gross Page 212 213 215 215 Table 27. Mean insurance benefits received per person and per 216 Table 28. Specified unmet needs of persons 65 and over in 216 Table 29. Mean gross total charges per person, and mean gross Table 30. Mean gross hospital charges per person, and mean Table 31. Percentage distribution of persons, by level of gross 217 218 219 Table 32. Mean gross physicians' charges per person, and mean 220 221 Table 34. Mean gross medicines charges per person and mean 221 Table 35. Mean gross "other" medical charges per person, and Table 36. Mean dental charges per person, and mean dental 222 223 Table 37. Percentage of families with voluntary health insurance, Table 39. Amount of group hospital and surgical benefits con- Table 38. Percentage of persons with hospital insurance, by age 224 225 225 Table 40. Effect of age at hiring on availability or level of bene- 226 Table 41. Benefit levels under health and insurance plans for 227 Table 42. Relationship of hospital, surgical, and medical bene- 227 Table 43. Method of financing benefits for retired workers and 228 Table 44. Relationship of hospital, surgical, and medical bene- 229 Table 45. Method of financing benefits for retired workers and 230 231 Table 47. Maintenance of benefits for active workers under 232 LIST OF CHARTS Page Chart 3. Washington (State) sickness survey, 1953: Average annual number of visits by age and sex.. Chart 1. Morbidity by age groups-- 181 196 197 Chart 4. Skilled nursing home beds in relation to total and aged population, by type of general hospital service area. Chart 5. Average availability of general hospital and skilled nursing home beds among general hospital service regions, with different socioeconomic characteristics.. 204 206 STUDIES OF THE AGED AND AGING 1. COSTS OF MEDICAL CARE FOR THOSE 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER: A NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF COSTS AND UTILIZATION Odin W. Anderson, Ph. D., research director, Health Information Foundation, New York City Delivered at University of Michigan Ninth Annual Conference on Aging, July 10, 1956 I. INTRODUCTION In a nationwide survey of families and individuals it was found that the average costs for all private personal health services incurred by each individual in the general population was $65 a year. For those 65 years of age and over, the average annual cost for private care was $102. Although those in this age group comprised only about 9 percent of the population, they incurred 13 percent of the costs for all personal health services of the entire population. The survey was based on interviews in the homes of a representative sample of families in the United States. The study was conducted by the national opinion research center, University of Chicago, and financed by the Health Information Foundation. The data gathered represent the experiences of the families for a 12-month period ending in July 1953. A complete report has been published,1 but this article attempts to consolidate and present the information relating to the segment of the population 65 years of age and over. II. COSTS OF PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES A. GENERAL During the year under study the American people incurred costs of private personal health services totaling over $10 billion, or $65 per person. Thirteen percent, or $1.3 billion, was incurred by the segment of the population 65 years of age and over, averaging $102 per person. In other words, those 65 years of age and over incurred charges 57 percent greater than that of the general population. As an aside, personal-health services provided by various levels of government for recipients of old-age assistance total approximately $168 million, averaging over $66 per old-age-assistance recipient, and when spread out over the entire population 65 and over, averaging $12 per person. This does not represent all the costs incurred by Odin W. Anderson with Jacob J. Feldman. Family Medical Costs and Voluntary Health Insurance; a Nationwide Survey. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1956. |