Jan 21, 2016 - Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices. ... Non-Recurring Health Care Expenses* of All Age 65+
News from EBRI 1100 13th St. NW Suite 878 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 659-0670 www.ebri.org Fax: (202) 775-6312
For Immediate Release: Contact:
Jan. 21, 2016 Stephen Blakely, EBRI, 202/775-6341,
[email protected] Sudipto Banerjee, EBRI (author), 202/775-6306,
[email protected]
New Research from EBRI:
Older Singles Face Higher Health Costs Than Couples WASHINGTON—Older singles and older couples tend to face sharply different out-of-pocket expenses for non-recurring health care services such as home health care, nursing home stays, overnight hospital stays, and outpatient surgery—possibly because they do not have a spouse to help as caregivers, according to new research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The EBRI analysis of out-of-pocket health care spending for households age 65 and older found a major difference in trends between recurring health care services (such as doctor and dentist visits and prescription drugs) and the non-recurring expenses. Specifically, out-of-pocket spending for recurring health care expenses for those older households over a two-year period averaged about $2,500 per person for both single and couple households, and generally did not change with age. But for non-recurring health spending by those ages 85 and older, singles spent on average about $13,355, compared with $8,530 for couples over the same period, EBRI found. “The largest spending differences between older singles and older couples occur in the case of home health care and nursing home stays,” said Sudipto Banerjee, EBRI research associate and author of the analysis. “This likely suggests that couples benefit from their spouses or partners acting as their caregivers.” The full report, “Differences in Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses of Older Single and Couple Households,” is published in the January 2016 EBRI Notes and online at www.ebri.org EBRI’s publications can also be accessed through mobile device apps, available in the Apple store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices. The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute based in Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI conducts objective research and education to inform plan design and public policy, does not lobby and does not take policy positions. The work of EBRI is made possible by funding from its members and sponsors, which include a broad range of public, private, for-profit and nonprofit organizations. For more information go to www.ebri.org or www.asec.org
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Non-Recurring Health Care Expenses* of All Age 65+ Single Households During a Two-Year Period Between 2010–2012, by Age Group $80,000
$70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $Nursing Home
Other Care
Outpatient Surgery
Total NonRecurring
Median
$1,000
$375
$5,001
$254
$375
$624
$501
$501
$7,701
$250
$300
$700
Average
$2,501
$788
$11,079
$654
$791
$2,790
$2,113
$3,817
$17,844
$672
$1,163
$5,502
90th Percentile
$5,001
$3,500
$35,000
$1,800
$2,000
$6,000
$5,000
$5,001
$50,000
$1,800
$2,001
$10,500
$10,001
65‒74
Nursing Home
Other Care
Total NonRecurring
In-Home Care
Hospital
In-Home Care
Outpatient Surgery
Hospital
Outpatient Surgery
$10,001
$350
$450
$1,656
$25,540
$4,029
$912
$13,355
$67,000
$5,001
$2,001
$50,000
Nursing Home
$501
$501
$2,810
$5,320 $20,001
75‒84
Total NonRecurring
Other Care
In-Home Care
Hospital
85+
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates from Health and Retirement Study (HRS), 2012. * Conditional on positive expenses.
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