Released: February 02, 2010

Aging: Higher co-payments tied to costlier care

Source: Roni Caryn Rabin, NY Times (Free Registration)

When Medicare plans raise co-payments for outpatient care, older people cut back on doctors’ visits, then wind up needing more expensive hospital care, a new study reports.

The study examined changes in the use of inpatient and outpatient care among people in Medicare plans that almost doubled co-payments, and compared the trends with similar plans that kept co-payments steady.

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