Bone Fractures Cost Medicare $4.2B/Year

Bone fractures among the elderly in the USA account for 3% of all Medicare expenses, says the Centers for Disease Control, which noted the cost was $4.2 billion during a one-year period from July 1991 to June 1992. Hip fractures alone cost the Medicare program $2.9 billion. Total medical care for fractures among older Americans came to $13.8 billion last year. About 850,000 seniors experience a fracture each year.

Excess cost to Medicare for fracture treatment are likely to increase steadily as the US population ages, according to the CDC, which noted that the elderly can reduce their chances of bone fractures by ensuring adequate dietary intake of calcium among other lifestyle moves.