Seniors With These 5 Diseases Are Most Often Hospitalized for Coronavirus

New data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) listed five chronic diseases — hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic kidney disease, anemia, and diabetes — that make seniors especially vulnerable for hospitalization with COVID-19, reports MoneyTalksNews . CMS said more than 325,000 Original Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with COVID-19 between Jan. 1 and May 16, with 111,000 hospitalized. The breakdown of hospitalized beneficiaries with the five listed diseases was 79 percent with hypertension, 60 percent with hyperlipidemia, 50 percent with chronic kidney disease, 50 percent with anemia, and 50 percent with diabetes. Of the beneficiaries who went into the hospital, 28 percent died there and 27 percent were discharged to their homes, while 21 percent were transferred to skilled nursing communities or other healthcare settings. CMS added that COVID-19 hospitalization rates are especially high for black and Hispanic beneficiaries, beneficiaries 85 or older, and those enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.