Suicide Deaths Among Medicaid Beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to determine the rate of suicide deaths among Medicaid beneficiaries, compared with rates in the overall U.S. population.

METHODS

Medicaid enrollment data were linked to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Death Index for 2020 to determine the rate of suicide deaths among Medicaid beneficiaries, overall and by age and sex. These data were compared with U.S. population data from the 2020 U.S. Census and national suicide data from the CDC's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database.

RESULTS

There were 9,401 suicide deaths among Medicaid beneficiaries in 2020. Compared with the whole U.S. population, the Medicaid population suicide death rate was higher for individuals ages 25-64 (21.1 vs. 17.6 per 100,000, respectively), and lower among individuals ages <25 (3.9 vs. 6.4) and ages ≥65 (10.6 vs. 16.4).

CONCLUSIONS

The higher suicide rates among Medicaid beneficiaries ages 25-64 may reflect greater financial strain experienced by middle-aged, low-income individuals.