News Report | June 23, 2019
2018 Medicare Spending Totaled $741 Billion, Up 4.2% From 2017
Total Medicare expenditures were $741 billion in 2018, with $308.2 billion in expenditures for Medicare Part A (inpatient services), $337.2 billion for Part B (outpatient services), and $95.2 billion for Part D (prescription medications). This compares to $710.7 billion in 2017, a 4.2% increase.
In 2018, Medicare covered 59.9 million beneficiaries, with 51.2 million age 65 or older and 8.8 million beneficiaries under age 65 who qualified due to a disability. This is an average of $13,257 in spending per beneficiary per year. About 36% of beneficiaries are enrolled in a . . .