Even after accounting for medical conditions, patient preferences, and other demographic factors, Kenneth Langa, Theodore Iwashyna and colleagues find that African Americans and Hispanics spend more on end-of-life care than do whites. Specifically, they found the Medicare system paid 22% more for the care of a dying black senior, and 19% more for the care of a dying Hispanic senior than they did for a white senior who matched them in more than 20 ways. They conclude that factors based in the healthcare system are causing the differential and more research is needed.

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