The mortality rate in nursing homes jumped 32% in 2020 as COVID-19 ravaged the elderly and had a devastating effect on Medicare beneficiaries.
The 32% uptick equates to a loss of 169,291 more lives in 2020 compared to numbers from 2019, according to a Tuesday report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. A total of 22% of all Medicare beneficiaries in care homes died last year, up from 17% in 2019, and approximately 1,000 more beneficiaries died per day in April 2020 than in April 2019.
“The toll that the COVID pandemic has taken on Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes demonstrates the need for increased action to mitigate the effects of the ongoing pandemic and to avert such tragedies from occurring in the future,” the Office of Inspector General wrote. “OIG is committed to understanding and helping to protect nursing home residents from the impacts of COVID-19.”
BIDEN HHS NOMINEE UNDER PRESSURE OVER MISSING NURSING HOME COVID-19 DEATH DATA
Mortality rates increased across every age group, as the OIG concluded that “age does not appear to be a factor in rates of COVID19 infections.” In those 85 and older, 30% of beneficiaries died in 2020, up from 23% in 2019. For the 75-84 bracket, 21% died, compared to 16% who were pronounced deceased in 2019, and for the 65-74 age group, 16% died, up from 12% the previous year.
For those under the age of 65, 12% died in 2020, compared to 8% who were pronounced deceased in 2019.
Fifty-one percent of black Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes had or likely contracted COVID-19, 49% of Hispanics likely tested positive for the virus, 47% of Asians experienced the same, and 41% of white beneficiaries likely contracted COVID-19. Twenty-seven percent of Asian beneficiaries died in 2020, 24% of white people were pronounced deceased, 23% of Hispanics died, and 23% of black people were found to have died last year.
There were 2,241,441 white beneficiaries in care homes, 139,995 Hispanic beneficiaries, 354,241 black beneficiaries, and 48,691 Asian beneficiaries.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A handful of high-profile politicians, such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has come under fire for the handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic. In January, it was revealed that the Democratic governor severely undercounted care home deaths after placing virus-positive people in spaces shared by vulnerable elderly residents. In the days following, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn launched an investigation into the matter.
The United States has seen a 12% decline in cases and a 15% dip in deaths over the last two weeks. The country has administered 318,576,441 vaccine doses out of 379,003,410 that have been distributed.
