Postacute COVID-19 Symptoms and Health Care Utilization and Spending Among Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries

To what extent is COVID-19 infection associated with sustained increases in health care utilization and spending among traditional Medicare beneficiaries?In this cohort study of 937 077 Medicare beneficiaries with COVID-19 and 4 808 573 matched control beneficiaries without COVID-19, patients with COVID-19 had higher rates of symptom diagnoses and health care utilization and spending during the acute phase of infection. These differences declined over time and were minimal beyond 3 months after infection.Among older adults enrolled in traditional Medicare, the excess health care use and spending associated with COVID-19 infection were largely confined to the acute phase of infection, suggesting limited long-term associations with health care utilization or Medicare spending.

Corresponding Author: Kaushik Ghosh, PhD, US Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20201 (kaushik.ghosh@hhs.gov).

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