title: Health care spending and service use among high-cost Medicaid beneficiaries, 2002-2004.
abstract: Using program administrative data, this paper examines spending and service use patterns for the national Medicaid population between 2002 and 2004, with a focus on high-cost beneficiaries. We observed a high degree of spending persistence. 57.9% of those who were among the top 10% of Medicaid spenders in 2002 remained in the top 10% of spenders in the two subsequent years. We identified two distinct subgroups of high spenders--those with persistently high costs and those with episodically high costs-each with different services driving their costs.
authors.affiliation: Urban Institute, Washington DC 20037, USA. tcoughlin@urban.org
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Coughlin
authors.forename: Sharon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult