On October 12, KFF released a study examining Medicare spending on beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities.  The study found that, in 2006, per-capita spending on beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities was $14,538, or more than double the average for all other beneficiaries that year. 

From the report:

In recent years, policymakers and researchers have looked for ways to improve the delivery of care for the Medicare population, with particular emphasis on identifying and targeting the subset of beneficiaries who account for a disproportionate share of Medicare spending. The 2010 health care reform law includes a number of demonstrations, pilots, and programs designed to test interventions for relatively high‐cost beneficiaries, including interventions aiming to reduce hospital readmissions, control spending for post‐acute care through bundled payments, establish incentives for better care coordination through accountable care organizations, and create a new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

Full Report: Medicare Spending and Use of Medical Services for Beneficiaries in Nursing Homes and Other Long‐Term Care Facilities (PDF | 1.98 MB)  

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2010). Medicare spending and use of medical services for beneficiaries in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Jacobson, G., Neuman, T., Damico, A.