Sessions Recognizes Decrease in Medicare Hospitalizations

Press Release

Sessions Recognizes Decrease in Medicare Hospitalizations

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) today applauded the release of new data indicating a significant decrease in Medicare inpatient hospitalizations in conjunction with the introduction of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

According to the Medicare Trustees Report released yesterday, inpatient hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries dropped from 13.8 million to 13.1 million between 2005 and 2006. This 700,000 reduction in Medicare inpatient hospitalizations indicates that more seniors are utilizing preventative medical services in outpatient settings and experiencing the benefits of the Medicare prescription drug program.

"I believe that it is not a coincidence that Medicare hospitalizations dropped at the same time that the Medicare prescription drug benefit went into effect," said Congressman Sessions.

"Medicare Part D was the first big attempt to introduce preventative medicine into Medicare and shift its focus from treating diseases in their costly final stages to a 21st century health care system in which life-saving prescription drugs are used to treat diseases in their infancy.

"Studies indicate that for each dollar of new drug spending $6 can be saved in other medical services. For example, the monthly cost to control diabetes with drugs is about $30 a month while a single hospitalization for renal kidney failure is $6,700" Sessions concluded.

The Medicare Trustees Report is an annual report on the financial status of the Medicare Program.

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