Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.

Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.

The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opens in new window
CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Main header

  • About Us
  • Newsroom
  • Data & Research
Newsroom

Newsroom_Navigation

  • Press Kit
  • Data
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Podcast

 

 

 

Press release

CMS Updates Medicare COVID-19 Data Snapshot

Mar 24, 2021
  • Medicare Parts A & B

Share

opens in new window opens in new window opens in new window

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released an updated data snapshot detailing the impact of COVID-19 on Medicare beneficiaries, particularly among underserved beneficiaries including racial and ethnic minorities, adults 85 years old and older, and people with certain pre-existing conditions. More than 2.7 million beneficiaries were diagnosed with COVID-19 during the snapshot period, and nearly 700,000 beneficiaries were hospitalized with COVID-19, based on a review of services provided January 1, 2020 to December 26, 2020 (for claims received by January 22, 2021).

Although the snapshot data suggests COVID-19 continues to impact certain populations disproportionately, it also points to the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and other opportunities for prevention and treatment in disadvantaged groups. Capturing and understanding this data is an essential part of ensuring the health of all Medicare beneficiaries, and it can also advance public health policies that promote equity.

This new snapshot features Medicare data for services provided from January 1, 2020 to December 26, 2020 and is an update to data previously captured for services provided between January 1, 2020 and November 21, 2020.

New in this snapshot are additional data on COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates by race/ethnicity. Other highlights in the report include:

  • Since the last snapshot released in January 2021, COVID-19 cases increased by more than 790,000 and hospitalizations grew by more than 206,000.
  • The rate of COVID-19 cases in rural areas (4,271 per 100,000) is higher than in urban areas (4,151 per 100,000) for the first time since CMS started releasing this snapshot.
  • Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) spending associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations grew to $10.3 billion.
  • American Indian/Alaskan Native beneficiaries continued to have the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate (2,393 per 100,000), followed by African American (1,937 per 100,000) and Hispanic (1,617 per 100,000) beneficiaries. The new breakdowns by race/ethnicity and age show this pattern continues across all four age groups included in the snapshot.

In addition to updating the COVID-19 data snapshot, CMS recently refreshed its COVID-19 vaccine website to provide health care professionals, community partners, and consumers additional resources that inform stakeholders about the impact of the pandemic on beneficiaries. Materials are also available in additional languages. These Department of Health and Human Services and CMS resources include policy and cost information, resources to answer questions about the vaccines, as well as links to outreach toolkits. The page will continue to be updated as new resources are available. To view these resources from the CMS Office of Minority Health visit: Go.CMS.gov/omhcovid19vaccine.

Snapshot information is compiled from Medicare FFS claims, Medicare Advantage encounters and Medicare enrollment data. The latest Medicare COVID-19 data snapshot can be viewed here: https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-systems/preliminary-medicare-covid-19-data-snapshot

###

Get CMS news at cms.gov/newsroom, sign up for CMS news via email and follow CMS on Twitter @CMSgov.

 

  • Previous
  • Next

Related Releases

  • CMS Solicits Public Comment for a New Demonstration to Offer Inpatient Rehabilitation Providers Flexibilities and Reduce Medicare Fraud
    Dec 14, 2020
  • Trump Administration Announces Prescription Drug Payment Model to Put American Patients First
    Nov 20, 2020
  • FACT SHEET: Most Favored Nation Model for Medicare Part B Drugs and Biologicals Interim Final Rule with Comment Period
    Nov 20, 2020
  • 2020 Estimated Improper Payment Rates for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Programs
    Nov 16, 2020
  • Trump Administration Announces Medicare Fee-For-Service Estimated Improper Payments Decline by $15 Billion Since 2016
    Nov 16, 2020

Contact us

CMS News and Media Group
Catherine Howden, Director
Brian Leshak, Deputy Director
Jason Tross, Deputy Director

Media Inquiries Form
202-690-6145

Get email updates

Sign up to get the latest information about your choice of CMS topics in your inbox. Also, you can decide how often you want to get updates.

CMS & HHS WEBSITES

  • Medicare.govopens in new window
  • Medicaid.govopens in new window
  • InsureKidsNow.govopens in new window
  • HealthCare.govopens in new window
  • HHS.govopens in new window

HELPFUL LINKS

  • Acronyms
  • Archive
  • Contacts
  • Glossary
  • Privacy policy
  • Privacy settings

RSS FEEDS

  • Newsroom
  • Blog
  • Podcast
U.S. Department of Health & Human Servicesopens in new window Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servicesopens in new window

A federal government website managed and paid for by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244

opens in new window opens in new window opens in new window

TOOLS

  • Web policiesopens in new window
  • Plain languageopens in new window
  • No Fear Actopens in new window
  • Freedom of Information Actopens in new window
  • Inspector Generalopens in new window