Final answer:
From 1980 to 1991, Medicare expenditures for home care likely increased, part of a broader trend of rising federal healthcare spending, including significant growth in Medicare and Medicaid outlays beginning in the 1990s.
Step-by-step explanation:
Changes in Home Care Visits and Medicare Expenditures
Between 1980 and 1991, home care visits and Medicare expenditures for home care likely increased alongside the rise in overall federal spending on healthcare. As evidenced by historical data, federal spending on healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid, has grown significantly, particularly beginning in the 1990s. Given that Medicare was established to provide healthcare to the elderly and disabled, it is reasonable to suggest that during this period there was an expansion in-home care visits covered by Medicare due to the increasing availability and emphasis on federal healthcare funding. Furthermore, the introduction of new Medicare parts, the growth in enrollees, the escalating medical prices, and legislative changes such as prescription drug benefits under Medicare Part D, have contributed to the rise in expenditures.
It is important to note that the Medicare system itself has undergone changes that have influenced spending, including the addition of the Part D prescription drug benefit in 2003, which alone cost approximately $40 billion in 2006. The projection of the cost for this benefit was to reach around $121 billion by 2016. The shift in funding priorities from national defense towards Social Security and healthcare, as well as the influence of powerful lobbying groups like the AARP, has played a role in the expansion of Medicare benefits over time and, by extension, increased spending on services such as home care.