Study Results from University of Rhode Island in the Area of Cancer Reported (Evaluation of the Association Between Health Insurance Status and Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Among Adult Cancer Survivors In the United States): Cancer

2023 MAY 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Cancer. According to news reporting out of Kingston, Rhode Island, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Health care expenditures for cancer care has increased significantly over the past decade and is further projected to rise. This study examined the associations between health insurance status and total direct health care expenditures and health care utilization among cancer survivors living in the United States.”

Funders for this research include National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA, NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Rhode Island, “A cross-sectional study of cancer survivors aged >= 18 years, identified from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) during 2017 using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes specific for cancer. Health insurance was categorized into Private, Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured. Multivariable ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the association between log expenditures and health insurance. Negative binomial regression with log link was used to obtain adjusted incident rate ratios (AIRR) for health care utilization. Survey weights were used to produce nationally representative estimates of the US population. A total of 1140 (weighted = 13.9 million) cancer survivors were identified. Compared to the adjusted mean annual health care expenditures for the private group ($14,265; 95% confidence interval (CI): $12,645 to $16,092), the adjusted mean annual health care expenditures for the Medicare group were higher ($15,112; 95% CI: $13,361 to $17,092). As compared to the private group, the average annual expenditures for uninsured cancer survivors ($2315; 95%CI:1038 to $3501) was significantly lower and so was their health care utilization. Adjusted rates of ER visits for Medicaid were twice (AIRR:2.04; SE:0.28; p = 0.001) as compared to privately insured. A difference in the average total direct expenditures between uninsured and privately insured patients was found. Uninsured had the lowest health care utilization while Medicaid reported significantly higher number of ER visits. Despite differences in program structures, health care expenditures across insurance types were similar.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Lower utilization of health care services among uninsured suggests cost maybe a barrier to accessing care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Evaluation of the Association Between Health Insurance Status and Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Among Adult Cancer Survivors In the United States. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2023;19(5):821-829. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/research-in-social-and-administrative-pharmacy/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Shweta Kamat, University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmacy Practice, Kingston, RI 02881, United States. Additional authors for this research include Stephen Kogut, Ashley L. Buchanan and Ami Vyas.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.02.005. 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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