New Managed Care Findings from University of Pennsylvania Discussed (Ssdi Beneficiaries Had Elevated Mortality During the 2-year Waiting Period for Medicare, 2000-21): Managed Care

2026 APR 14 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news reporting originating in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Most Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries face a mandatory two-year waiting period for Medicare eligibility. Because of concerns that lack of health coverage during the waiting period could have life-threatening consequences for some beneficiaries, selected subpopulations are exempt from the waiting period.”

Financial support for this research came from Social Security Administration, Retirement and Disability Research Consortium through the Michigan Retirement and Disability Research Center.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania, “In 2025, legislation was introduced in Congress to expand the scope of these exemptions. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the twenty-four-month mortality rate of the SSDI beneficiary population, how it compares with that of the general population, how it varies by age and primary impairment, and how it has changed over time. Using 2000-19 Social Security Administration data, we provide a descriptive analysis of mortality rates during the Medicare waiting period. In 2019, the twentyfour-month mortality rate of SSDI beneficiaries was 5.96 percent, whereas the adjusted rate in the general population was 1.25 percent. The mortality rate was highest among beneficiaries with neoplasms, at 39.3 percent. The twenty-four-month mortality rate of SSDI beneficiaries has risen since 2011, reflecting changes in the demographic and impairment characteristics of new beneficiaries.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “These findings demonstrate the SSDI population’s vulnerability and can inform policy conversations about expanding the scope of exemptions from the Medicare waiting period.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Ssdi Beneficiaries Had Elevated Mortality During the 2-year Waiting Period for Medicare, 2000-21. Health Affairs, 2026;45(3):292-298. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting David Powell, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. Additional authors for this research include Seth Hartig and Mireille Jacobson.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.00592. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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