Abstract
Guided by the concept of person-environment “fit,” we investigated whether differences in healthcare expenditures among residents of senior housing differ by the availability and types of onsite services, as well as individuals’ degree of functional impairment. We used data from 6,160 participants in the 2001–2013 Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey (MCBS), who reported living in senior or retirement housing. Findings indicated that residents in housing with skilled and/or unskilled services did not have lower healthcare expenditures than residents with no onsite services. However, residents with impairment in two or more areas of instrumental activities of daily living—who also reported living in housing with skilled services—had lower expenditures than those in communities with no services or only unskilled services. Findings suggest the importance for future research on the potential benefits of housing-plus-services to specify the degree of service availability, individuals’ functional health and overall health care cost containment.