Out-Of-Pocket Medical Spending For Care Of Chronic Conditions

• Published in: Health Affairs Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 267 - 278
• Main Authors: Hwang, Wenke, Weller, Wendy, Ireys, Henry, Anderson, Gerard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Health Affairs 01.11.2001; The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE
• Subjects: Age; Asthma; Chronic Disease - economics; Chronic Disease - therapy; Chronic illnesses; Congenital diseases; Diabetes; Disease; Expenditures; Female; Financing, Personal - statistics & numerical data; Health care; Health care expenditures; Health care policy; Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data; Health insurance; Health services utilization; Humans; Hypertension; Insurance coverage; Male; Medicaid; Medically Uninsured; Medicare; Nervous system; Personal health; Policy making; Population; Respiratory diseases; Socioeconomic factors; Statistical analysis; Studies; Uninsured people; United States; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0278-2715; 1544-5208
• DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.20.6.267

We examined out-of-pocket medical spending by persons with and without chronic conditions using data from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Our results show that mean out-of-pocket spending increased with the number of chronic conditions. The level of this spending also varied by age and insurance coverage, among other characteristics. Out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs was substantial for both elderly and nonelderly persons with chronic conditions. As policymakers continue to use cost sharing and design of benefit packages to contain health spending, it is important to consider the impact of these policies on persons with chronic conditions and their families.