Commonwealth Fund June 28, 2022
Toplines
Medicare home health visits fell nearly 14 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beneficiaries of color were less likely to get caregiver assistance
Caregivers available to people of color using Medicare home health services are more likely to require additional job training than caregivers for white beneficiaries — and that need for more training may affect quality of care
Abstract
- Issue: Given shifting home health use during the COVID-19 pandemic, studying the characteristics of Medicare home health beneficiaries with respect to race and caregiver assistance may inform efforts to address disparities in access and service use.
- Goal: To identify changes in race and acuity of home health beneficiaries between 2019 and 2020, as well as access to caregiver...