Researchers at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Washington, D.C.-based Milken Institute School of Public Health, analyzed data from all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2007 to 2018, including new data in June 2021.
The authors wrote that while previous studies attributed slowdowns in spending to the Great Recession, there is little evidence the recession played a role in Medicare beneficiaries cutting back on spending.
Instead, the researchers’ analysis found that lower increases in payment rates, including sequestration measures implemented in 2013, were one of the main drivers of lower spending growth.
Changes in the Medicare population, including more members under the age of 70, also contributed to lower spending growth, the researchers found.
Read the full studyhere.
