Demographics
Medicare Beneficiary Counts for 2000 - 2009
Medicare Enrollment by Age Group, 1999 - 2009
Description: The number of people enrolled in Medicare has increased gradually over time. There were 41 million beneficiaries in 1999 and 49 million beneficiaries in 2009. The age distribution of the population has remained fairly stable over time.
Technical notes: Age is determined at the end of the calendar year.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Race, 1999 - 2009
Description: The racial distribution of Medicare beneficiaries has changed very little over time. There are proportionately more Blacks and Hispanics in 2009 compared to 1999, although the difference is very small.
Technical notes: American Indian, Native American, Other, and Unknown races are grouped together due to small cell sizes. An additional Race classification variable is available from 2006 forward, called RTI Race – which more accurately captures the proportion of Hispanics.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Gender, 1999 - 2009
Description: The distribution of Medicare beneficiaries by gender has remained stable over time, with approximately 56% of beneficiaries classified as female.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Coverage Type, 1999 - 2009
Description: The proportion of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans, known as Medicare Advantage (MA) has increased since 2005. The availability of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug coverage in 2006 has revitalized interest in MA.
Technical notes: Full or nearly full fee-for-service (FFS) coverage = 11 or 12 months during the year with Medicare A or B coverage, but without HMO any of the months.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Medicare Status, 1999 - 2009
Description: The proportion of beneficiaries classified as Disabled has increased slightly over time, from 13.5% in 1999 to 16.5% in 2009.
Technical notes: Classification used the Medicare status code, and combined ESRD and Disabled categories into the “Disabled” grouping.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment, 2009 by Age Group
Description: The population aged 65-74 years comprised the largest age grouping for beneficiaries (43% of all beneficiaries).
Technical notes: Age at the end of the year.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment, 2009 by Racial Group
Description: The white racial group comprised the largest proportion of beneficiaries, by racial group.
Technical notes: American Indian, Native American, Other, and Unknown races are grouped together due to small cell sizes. An additional Race classification variable is available from 2006 forward, called RTI Race – which more accurately captures the proportion of Hispanics.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Age Group and FFS Status, 1999 - 2009
Description: Younger Medicare beneficiaries (65-74 years of age) were more likely than older beneficiaries to be enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) rather than managed care (i.e, Medicare Advantage plans). The line for the 65-74 year old Non-FFS beneficiaries shows an increase in managed care enrollment starting in 2005, and increasing thereafter. This is likely due to the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
Technical notes: Full or nearly full fee-for-service (FFS) coverage = 11 or 12 months during the year with Medicare A or B coverage, but without HMO (i.e., Medicare Advantage) any of the months.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Medicare Enrollment by Coverage Type and Racial Group, 2009
Description: Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Other/Unknown racial groups had fewer than 60% of beneficiaries with full FFS coverage. The Hispanic racial group had a similar percentage who were FFS and Non-FFS.
Technical notes: Full or nearly full fee-for-service (FFS) coverage = 11 or 12 months during the year with Medicare A or B coverage, but without HMO any of the months. American Indian, Native American, Other, and Unknown races are grouped together due to small cell sizes. An additional Race classification variable is available from 2006 forward, called RTI Race – which more accurately captures the proportion of Hispanics.
Chart Date: November 17, 2011
Description: The number of people enrolled in Medicare varied by state. There were a total of 49 million beneficiaries in 2009. Alaska had the smallest number of beneficiaries (66,125), and California had the largest (4,829,714).
Chart Date: November 17, 2011