Table 1 Characteristics of Louisianan Medicare Beneficiaries. Characteristics of the Medicare beneficiary population at the national and Louisianan hospital referral region (HRR)-level derived from a 100% sample of 2014 Medicare Parts A & B claims [11], the 2010 United States Census [50], the 2014 Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance database [51], the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database [22], the 2010 Master Area Block Level Equivalency/Geocorr2k Geographic Correspondence Engine [52], and the 2014 Dartmouth Atlas Project Geographic Information System database file [11]
| National |
LA HRRs† (n = 10) | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Hospital Care Intensity Index | 1.00 | 1.03 |
| Average Medicare Spending per Beneficiary‡ ($) | 9589 | 10,094 |
| Total Number of Beneficiaries (n) | 29,586,354 | 423,391 |
| Total Number of Beneficiary Deaths§ (n) | 1,868,812 | 30,756 |
| Total Population (n) | 308,745,538 | 4,658,282 |
| Demographics of Beneficiaries (%) | ||
| Aged 75+ | – | 5.5% |
| Women | 55% | 56% |
| Black | 8% | 21% |
| Non-Black | 92% | 79% |
| Risk Factors (%) | ||
| Smokers | 20% | 22%* |
| Physically Inactive | 24% | 31%* |
| Obese (> 30 body mass index) | 26% | 34%* |
| Beneficiaries Enrolled in Health Maintenance Organizations• (%) | 32% | 30% |
| Social Security Status | National | State |
| Total Recipients (n) | 59,077,158 | 854,211 |
| Social Security Income per Beneficiary ($) | 1215 | 1106 |
