Interesting study in the NEJM this week comparing patients with insurance before they turned 65 (and qualified for Medicare) versus those without insurance before they turned 65. The study found that those that were previously uninsured had higher medical costs from 65 on. Initially you may think this may be a “duh” factor–those who get health insurance will use more services than when they weren’t insured–but the factor persists for years. Since they weren’t insured, they probably weren’t getting the right medications (or any) for years, leading to more severe disease, making them sicker and costing more once they qualified for insurance.

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