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III. Use of health facilities--Continued

Table 23. Comparison of skilled nursing home bed-population
ratios relative to total population and aged population, by
State, 1954___

Table 24. Persons 65 and over in homes for the aged and depend-
ent, by State, 1950__

IV. Economic data on medical care:

Table 25. Percentage distribution of persons, by level of gross
total charges for all personal health services, by age (per-
centages may not add up to 100 because of rounding).
Table 26. Distribution of aged economic units (married couples
with head aged 65 and over and other persons aged 65 and
over) by money income and by expense for medical services,
1951...

Page

212

213

215

215

Table 27. Mean insurance benefits received per person and per
person receiving benefits, by age and sex..

216

Table 28. Specified unmet needs of persons 65 and over in
California..

216

Table 29. Mean gross total charges per person, and mean gross
total charges per person incurring gross total charges, by age,
sex, and insurance status__.

Table 30. Mean gross hospital charges per person, and mean
gross hospital charges per person incurring gross hospital
charges, by age, and sex and insurance status__

Table 31. Percentage distribution of persons, by level of gross
hospital charges and age...

217

218

219

Table 32. Mean gross physicians' charges per person, and mean
gross physicians' charges per person incurring gross physi-
cians' charges, by age and sex and insurance status...
Table 33. Percentage distribution of persons by level of gross
physicians' charges, by age....

220

221

Table 34. Mean gross medicines charges per person and mean
gross medicines charges per person incurring gross medicines
charges, by age and sex and insurance status_

221

Table 35. Mean gross "other" medical charges per person, and
mean gross "other" medical charges per person incurring
gross "other" medical charges, by age and sex and insurance
status__

Table 36. Mean dental charges per person, and mean dental
charges per person incurring dental charges, by age and sex and
insurance status...

222

223

Table 37. Percentage of families with voluntary health insurance,
by sex and age of family head..

Table 39. Amount of group hospital and surgical benefits con-
tinued for retired employees (National Industrial Conference
Board survey).

Table 38. Percentage of persons with hospital insurance, by age
and sex

224

225

225

Table 40. Effect of age at hiring on availability or level of bene-
fits under health and insurance plans__

226

Table 41. Benefit levels under health and insurance plans for
workers retiring at age 65 compared with those provided im-
mediately prior to retirement

227

Table 42. Relationship of hospital, surgical, and medical bene-
fits of retired workers and their dependents.

227

Table 43. Method of financing benefits for retired workers and
their dependents under health and insurance plans.

228

Table 44. Relationship of hospital, surgical, and medical bene-
fits of retired workers and their dependents -

229

Table 45. Method of financing benefits for retired workers and
their dependents under health and insurance plans-----
Table 46. Prevalence of benefits under health and insurance plans
by groups covered.............

230

231

Table 47. Maintenance of benefits for active workers under
health and insurance plans___.

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--
Chart 2. Washington (State) sickness survey, 1953: Age and sex of
general practitioners' patients..

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

SECTION A. HEALTH CARE

་་

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.

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