A new study out of Brown University and Harvard University finds that between 2012 and 2022, premature deaths among adults under 65 spiked dramatically. Consequently, these people never benefited from their lifetime contributions to Medicare, a structural inequity in a program intended to be universal, says a study co-author, Jose Figueroa. The researchers argue that equitable health care policy should ensure that people paying into Medicare get Medicare coverage when they need care, not simply when they reach 65.
Overall, premature deaths grew by 27 percent over the course of the last decade. Between 2012 and 2022, Black Americans died prematurely before turning 65 at a disproportionately higher rate than white Americans, experiencing a 38 percent increase in premature deaths, from 309 per 100,000 to 427 per 100,000. White Americans saw a 28 percent increase, from 247 per 100,000 to 316 per 100,000.
The findings reveal that a disproportionately high number of Black Americans have not been getting the Medicare benefits they funded all their working lives through payroll contributions.
In 2022, the premature death rate was highest in West Virginia and lowest in Massachusetts. Black Americans had higher rates of early death in every state except New Mexico, Rhode Island and Utah.
To ensure Medicare’s universality, our federal government should expand Medicare to cover everyone who needs care, not simply people 65 and over and people with disabilities.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Medicare for All addresses racial injustice
- Medicare helps reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care but not nearly enough
- Poll: Costs remain a major barrier to care
- Nearly half of Americans can’t afford their health care
- John Oliver explains Medicare and the dangers of Medicare Advantage
