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Telehealth use among Medicare beneficiaries varies widely: 5 insights based on age, race & location

While more than one in four (27 percent) of Medicare beneficiaries had a telehealth visit between the summer and fall of 2020, participants ranged by factors including age and race, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report. 

Here is a breakdown of the beneficiaries who used telehealth last summer and fall, based on age, race/ethnicity, location and the number and types of chronic conditions they have. 

Age category: 

  • Under 65 years old: 30 percent 
  • Sixty-five to 74 years old: 27 percent 
  • At least 75 years old: 25 percent 

Race/ethnicity category: 

  • White: 26 percent 
  • Black: 30 percent 
  • Hispanic: 33 percent 

Number of chronic conditions category: 

  • Zero to one: 18 percent 
  • Two to three: 24 percent 
  • Four to five: 33 percent 
  • Six or more: 36 percent 

Type of chronic condition: 

  • Diabetes: 32 percent 
  • Any heart condition: 31 percent 
  • Emphysema/asthma/COPD: 34 percent 
  • Depression: 35 percent 
  • Immunocompromised: 40 percent 

Location category: 

  • Urban: 28 percent 
  • Rural: 21 percent *