Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Describe Findings in Managed Care (The Link Between Insurance and Blood Pressure Control In Us Stroke Survivors): Managed Care

2024 JUL 03 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Current study results on Managed Care have been published. According to news reporting out of Riverside, California, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “After a stroke, poorly controlled blood pressure (BP) is associated with a higher risk of recurrent vascular events. Despite the importance of controlling BP to avert recurrent vascular events, fewer than half of stroke survivors in the United States achieve BP control.”

Financial support for this research came from Roxanna Todd Hodges Foundation.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Kaiser Permanente, “It is unclear to what extent insurance status affects BP levels after stroke. We assessed BP control among adults with a history of stroke who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999 through 2016. The relationship between insurance type and BP level (low normal: <120/80 mmHg and normal: <140/90 mmHg) were evaluated using logistic regression before and after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and medical comorbidities for those <65 years and >= 65 years. Among 1646 adult stroke survivors (weighted n = 5,586,417), 30% had BP in the low normal range while 64% had BP in the normal range. Among 613 stroke survivors <65 years (weighted n = 2,396,980), only those with other government insurance (CHAMPVA, CHAMPUS/TRICARE) had better BP control than the uninsured (adjusted HR 2.68, 95% CI 0.99-7.25). Among 1033 participants >= 65 years (weighted n = 3,189,437), those with private insurance plus Medicare trended toward better normal BP compared to Medicare alone (adjusted HR 1.34, 95% CI 0.94-1.90). Only stroke survivors with CHAMPVA, CHAMPUS/TRICARE government insurance in the United States have lower odds of controlled BP compared to no insurance among those <65 years.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Insurance alone does not improve BP control among stroke survivors.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The Link Between Insurance and Blood Pressure Control In Us Stroke Survivors. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2024;461. Journal of the Neurological Sciences can be contacted at: Elsevier, Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of the Neurological Sciences - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-the-neurological-sciences/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Daniel M. Oh, Kaiser Permanente, Dept. of Neurology, 10800 Magnolia Ave, Riverside, CA 92505, United States. Additional authors for this research include Michael McManus, Daniela Markovic, Bruce Ovbiagele, Nerses Sanossian and Amytis Towfighi.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2024.123043. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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