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Average annual spending per Medicare patient differs dramatically.
Medicare spends just $5,873 per year on the average recipient in Grand Junction, compared to a national average of $8,304, according to the Atlas of Health Care published by Dartmouth University. Grand Junction’s costs are well under half the $14,946 average in McAllen, which is second most expensive. As a result, health-policy experts have been examining healthcare in Grand Junction to determine whether the system can be replicated. [Read the full story here.]
| State | Inflation-adjusted total Medicare spending per enrollee, 1992 | Inflation-adjusted total Medicare spending per enrollee, 2006 | Growth in spending (dollars per person), 1992 to 2006 | Annual growth rate, 1992 to 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5,192 | 7,833 | 2,641 | 2.98% |
| Alaska | 5,267 | 7,700 | 2,434 | 2.75% |
| Arizona | 4,973 | 7,841 | 2,867 | 3.31% |
| Arkansas | 4,447 | 7,470 | 3,023 | 3.77% |
| California | 5,956 | 8,899 | 2,943 | 2.91% |
| Colorado | 4,635 | 7,496 | 2,861 | 3.49% |
| Connecticut | 5,481 | 8,972 | 3,491 | 3.58% |
| Delaware | 4,899 | 7,646 | 2,747 | 3.23% |
| District of Columbia | 6,030 | 7,551 | 1,521 | 1.62% |
| Florida | 5,835 | 9,379 | 3,544 | 3.45% |
| Georgia | 5,242 | 7,451 | 2,209 | 2.54% |
| Hawaii | 4,237 | 5,311 | 1,074 | 1.63% |
| Idaho | 3,796 | 6,411 | 2,615 | 3.81% |
| Illinois | 5,057 | 8,457 | 3,400 | 3.74% |
| Indiana | 4,684 | 7,698 | 3,014 | 3.61% |
| Iowa | 3,746 | 6,572 | 2,826 | 4.10% |
| Kansas | 4,430 | 7,421 | 2,990 | 3.75% |
| Kentucky | 4,670 | 8,260 | 3,590 | 4.16% |
| Louisiana | 5,711 | 9,401 | 3,690 | 3.62% |
| Maine | 4,095 | 6,952 | 2,857 | 3.85% |
| Maryland | 6,194 | 8,987 | 2,793 | 2.69% |
| Massachusetts | 6,167 | 9,379 | 3,212 | 3.04% |
| Michigan | 5,162 | 8,785 | 3,623 | 3.87% |
| Minnesota | 3,790 | 6,600 | 2,810 | 4.04% |
| Mississippi | 4,615 | 7,855 | 3,240 | 3.87% |
| Missouri | 4,670 | 7,709 | 3,040 | 3.65% |
| Montana | 3,693 | 6,340 | 2,647 | 3.94% |
| Nebraska | 3,379 | 6,922 | 3,543 | 5.26% |
| Nevada | 5,205 | 8,714 | 3,508 | 3.75% |
| New Hampshire | 4,285 | 7,814 | 3,529 | 4.38% |
| New Jersey | 5,644 | 9,551 | 3,907 | 3.83% |
| New Mexico | 3,830 | 6,803 | 2,973 | 4.19% |
| New York | 5,657 | 9,564 | 3,907 | 3.82% |
| North Carolina | 4,180 | 7,492 | 3,312 | 4.26% |
| North Dakota | 3,927 | 6,108 | 2,182 | 3.21% |
| Ohio | 5,002 | 8,249 | 3,247 | 3.64% |
| Oklahoma | 4,648 | 8,642 | 3,995 | 4.53% |
| Oregon | 3,984 | 6,122 | 2,138 | 3.12% |
| Pennsylvania | 5,799 | 8,215 | 2,416 | 2.52% |
| Rhode Island | 5,545 | 8,557 | 3,012 | 3.15% |
| South Carolina | 3,903 | 7,608 | 3,704 | 4.88% |
| South Dakota | 3,443 | 6,253 | 2,810 | 4.36% |
| Tennessee | 5,179 | 8,149 | 2,971 | 3.29% |
| Texas | 5,052 | 9,361 | 4,309 | 4.50% |
| Utah | 3,735 | 6,859 | 3,124 | 4.44% |
| Vermont | 3,702 | 7,284 | 3,583 | 4.95% |
| Virginia | 4,303 | 6,856 | 2,553 | 3.38% |
| Washington | 4,623 | 7,110 | 2,487 | 3.12% |
| West Virginia | 4,777 | 7,828 | 3,051 | 3.59% |
| Wisconsin | 4,040 | 6,978 | 2,938 | 3.98% |
| Wyoming | 3,645 | 6,591 | 2,946 | 4.32% |
| United States | 5,110 | 8,304 | 3,193 | 3.53% |
Its hard to replicate the system nationwide. Grand Junction is a small area. Its easy to something in a small scale. But if you want to do it in a large scale you need to define very good systems and processes. But worth trying!