HCFO Grantee Quoted in the November 28 Press & Sun-Bulletin Article on Geographic Variation in Health Costs

Stephen Zuckerman, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, was quoted in the November 28 Press & Sun-Bulletin article, “Senate Debate to Address Inequality in Medicare Costs.” [1] The article examines geographic variation in health care costs. Zuckerman states, “[An across-the-board cut in Medicare payments to entire regions] would penalize all providers in those areas and the patients equally.” Zuckerman and colleagues, Jack Hadley, Ph.D., professor at George Mason University, and Robert Berenson, M.D., Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute, are examining the factors contributing to geographic variations in Medicare spending and whether increased spending results in better outcomes at the individual level, using the individual Medicare beneficiary as the unit of analysis.