mortality

This plain-language brief summarizes a study of the very high number of deaths from COVID-19 among people receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS) who lived in nursing homes. The brief defines excess mortality and describes the studies findings, including graphics comparing mortality rates for both younger and older LTSS receipients, compared to the general population. The brief also explains why these rates may be higher, including individual factors and barriers to services and supports.

This Health Affairs datawatch article uses health plan data to calculate excess mortality rates for Medicaid home and community-based services recipients during March-December 2020. For younger recipients, excess mortality was 7.4 times  that of other community-dwelling Medicaid beneficiaries and 26.6 times that of the general population. As a proportion of expected mortality, excess mortality rates for older recipients and nursing home residents were comparable.