SEER-Medicare: Data Limitations

Medicare data do not include:

• claims for HMO enrollees
• care provided in other settings, such as the Veterans Administration
• care for persons with Medicare as the secondary payer (in some cases)
• reimbursement for covered services not captured by the Medicare data, e.g. out of pocket expenditures
• coverage provided by Medigap policies

Some of the services not covered by Medicare:

• long term care at home or in a nursing home
• most oral prescription drugs
• routine physicals