FACT SHEET
Why Medicare Matters for Women in
New Jersey
JANUARY 2013
Medicare is a linchpin of financial and health security for millions of older women – including
more than 750,000 older women in New Jersey1 – guaranteeing them coverage for
affordable, quality health care. Millions of women with disabilities nationwide also rely on
Medicare for health care coverage. In fact, women make up more than half of the 49 million
Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S., a number that will significantly increase as the baby boom
generation continues to retire.2 As Congress considers changes to Medicare, lawmakers must
keep in mind the real women whose lives would be directly affected.
Demographics
Women Are a Majority of Medicare Beneficiaries
 In New Jersey and nationally, women are a majority of Medicare beneficiaries. Of
New Jersey’s approximately 1.3 million Medicare beneficiaries, 59 percent are
women.3 Nationally, women make up 55 percent of the Medicare population.4
 At 62 percent, women are also the majority of the nation’s dually eligible
beneficiaries – those eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, the program that
provides coverage to lower income Americans.5
Women Rely on Medicare Longer Than Men
 Women live longer, and thus rely on Medicare longer. Life expectancy for women in
New Jersey is approximately 82 years compared with 77 years for men.6
 Nationally, women constitute 70 percent of the oldest Medicare beneficiaries – those
85 and older.7
Income
Most Older Women Have Very Modest Incomes and Rely on Medicare for Affordable
Health Care Coverage
 The median income for older women in 2010 was $15,072 compared with $25,704 for
older men.8
 While the median annual income in New Jersey was more than $65,000 in 20119,
older women in the state had a median income that year of only $18,100 – 69
percent of which came from Social Security.10
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 On average, women have lower Social Security benefits than men. The annual
benefit for women over 65 was about $12,000 in 2009.11 Nearly one-third of female
Medicare beneficiaries rely on Social Security as their primary source of income.12
 The rate of older women living in poverty was 9.1 percent13 in New Jersey and 10.7
percent nationally in 2011.14 The Federal Poverty Level in 2011 was $10,890 for an
individual and $14,710 for a couple.15
Health Care Expenses
Older Women Already Spend a Disproportionate Amount of Their Income on Health Care
 On average, older men and women in New Jersey spent an estimated 11 percent of
their income on out-of-pocket health care costs in 2011.16 For women, that number
can be even higher. For instance, in 2007, female beneficiaries in the U.S. spent
roughly 19 percent of their income on out-of-pocket health care costs, compared with
14.2 percent for male beneficiaries.17
 Low- and moderate-income older women spend an even greater portion of their
income – 22-25 percent – on health care.18
 At the current rate, median out-of-pocket health care spending by Medicare
beneficiaries is expected to exceed 25 percent of income by 2020.19
 Without Medicare, older women would be forced to spend even more of their modest
retirement income on essential health care.
Even with Medicare, Women Still Have Significant Out-Of-Pocket Costs for Health Care
 On average, New Jersey’s Medicare beneficiaries spent an estimated $4,300 out-ofpocket on health care in 2011.20
 Beneficiaries pay premiums, deductibles and copays for items and services Medicare
covers, such as prescription drugs, hospital care, and physician services.21
 Women also face out-of-pocket costs for many other needed services that Medicare
does not cover, including hearing aids, eyeglasses, dental care and podiatry
services22
 One of the most significant out-of-pocket costs women face is long-term care.
Women make up three-quarters (77 percent) of those living in nursing homes,
assisted living and other long-term care facilities23. Nursing home care alone can
cost an older woman roughly $75,000 per year24 – and these costs are not covered by
Medicare.
Health Care Needs
Women Have Higher Rates of Multiple Costly Chronic Conditions
 Women with Medicare have high rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and
heart disease and are more likely than men to have conditions like hypertension,
high cholesterol, osteoporosis, cognitive impairment and depression.25
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 Women are more likely than men to suffer from multiple chronic conditions. In fact,
over 70 percent of women enrolled in Medicare report having two or more chronic
conditions. 26
Conclusion
Women Are Counting on Congress to Keep Medicare Strong
Without the promise of Medicare’s earned benefit, millions of women in New Jersey and
across the country would be left to bear significant health care costs, rely on their children
for financial assistance or forgo needed medical services.
Congress must protect the integrity of this vital program. Changes that merely shift
additional costs to beneficiaries or reduce Medicare’s coverage are short-sighted. Any
changes to Medicare must strengthen the program so that current and future generations
of women continue to have access to affordable, quality health care.
Millions of American women – mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters and aunts – are
counting on Congress to keep Medicare’s promise of affordable, quality health care.
Don’t let them down.
1 Kaiser Family Foundation (2010). Distribution of Medicare Beneficiaries by Gender. Retrieved at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=35&cat=6&ind=296
2 Kaiser Family Foundation (2011). United States: Total Number of Medicare Beneficiaries, 2011. Retrieved at
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=1&cat=6&ind=290
3 Kaiser Family Foundation (2010). Distribution of Medicare Beneficiaries by Gender. Retrieved at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=35&cat=6&ind=296
4 Kaiser Family Foundation (2011). United States: Distribution of Medicare Beneficiaries by Gender. Retrieved at
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?typ=2&ind=296&cat=6&sub=75
5 Kaiser Family Foundation (2011). The Role of Medicare for the People Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Retrieved at http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/8138.pdf
6 Kaiser Family Foundation (2007). Life Expectancy at Birth (in years), by Gender. Retrieved at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=967&cat=2
7 Kaiser Family Foundation (2009). Medicare’s Role for Women. Retrieved at http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/7913.pdf
8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Service Agency on Aging (2011). “A Profile of Older Americans: 2011. Retrieved at
http://www.aoa.gov/aoaroot/aging_statistics/Profile/2011/docs/2011profile.pdf
9 Kaiser Family Foundation (2011). Median Annual Household Income. Retrieved at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?rgn=32&cat=1&ind=15
10 National Women’s Law Center (2011). State-by-State Factsheets: Social Security Vital to Women and Families. Retrieved at http://www.nwlc.org/resource/state-statefactsheets-social-security-vital-women-and-families
11 National Women’s Law Center (2012). The Importance of Medicare for Women. Retrieved at http://www.nwlc.org/resource/importance-medicare-women#factsheet
12 National Women’s Law Center (2012). Women and Social Security. Retrieved at http://www.nwlc.org/resource/women-and-social-security
13 U.S. Census Bureau (2011). American Community Survey. Retrieved at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/
14 U.S. Census Bureau (2011). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011. Retrieved at http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdf
15 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011). 2011 HHS Poverty Guidelines. Retrieved at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml
16 AARP Public Policy Institute (2011). Why Social Security and Medicare Are Vital to
New Jersey’s Seniors. Retrieved at http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/public_policy_institute/econ_sec/2012/NH-SSandMedicarefact-sheet-AARP-ppi-econ-sec.pdf
17 AARP Public Policy Institute (2012). Medicare Beneficiaries’ Out-of-Pocket Spending for Health Care. Retrieved at
http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/public_policy_institute/health/medicare-beneficiaries-out-of-pocket-spending-AARP-ppi-health.pdf
18 Medicare.gov (2010). Frequently Asked Questions About Medicare: Medicare Premiums and Coinsurance rates for 2011. Retrieved from:
https://questions.medicare.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/2305/~/medicare-premiums-and-coinsurance-rates-for-2011
19 Kaiser Family Foundation (2011). How Much “Skin in the Game” Is Enough? Retrieved at http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/8170.pdf
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20 AARP Public Policy Institute (2011). Why Social Security and Medicare Are Vital to
New Jersey’s Seniors. Retrieved at http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/public_policy_institute/econ_sec/2012/NH-SSandMedicarefact-sheet-AARP-ppi-econ-sec.pdf
21 Kaiser Family Foundation (2010). Medicare Chartbook. Retrieved at http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/8103.pdf
22 Ibid 21.
23 Kaiser Family Foundation (2009). Medicare’s Role for Women. Retrieved at http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/upload/7913.pdf
24 AARP Public Policy Institute (2011). Raising Expectations: A State Scorecard on Long-term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family
Caregivers. Retrieved at http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/ppi/ltc/ltss_scorecard.pdf
25 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2012). Chronic Conditions Among Medicare Beneficiaries Chartbook. Retrieved at http://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Dataand-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Chronic-Conditions/Downloads/2012Chartbook.pdf
26 Ibid 25.
The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and
policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family. More information is available at www.NationalPartnership.org.
© 2013 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.
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