RESUMO
Health care spending is often addressed in discussions of budgeting and deficits in the United States. It is important to many Americans that funds allocated for health care spending be allocated and spent in the most efficient and effective manner, leading to improved health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations. Many studies address health care spending, but few address the issue of spending as it relates to societal well-being, or certain health outcomes that adversely impact communities. This study seeks to expand the available literature by analyzing data from national sources at the state level.
Assuntos
Atenção à Saúde/economia , Etnicidade/estatística & dados numéricos , Custos de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Nível de Saúde , Grupos Minoritários/estatística & dados numéricos , Avaliação de Resultados em Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Mortalidade Infantil , Recém-Nascido de Baixo Peso , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Obesidade/economia , Gravidez , Gravidez na Adolescência/estatística & dados numéricos , Análise de Regressão , Estados Unidos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of health insurance and race on prescription medication use and expense. METHODS: An observational, non-experimental design was used. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the independent effects of health insurance status and race on prescription medication use and expense while controlling for sociodemographic, geographic, and health status characteristics. The sample consisted of 19,035 participants in the 1996 through 2003 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. FINDINGS: European Americans spent about $300 to $400 more and used three to four more prescriptions annually compared to other racial groups. Prescription medication expenses increased as time spent uninsured increased. Participants with part-year coverage filled four fewer prescriptions than those with full-year health insurance coverage. Participants with private coverage spent less on prescription medications compared to those with public and those with dual public and private coverage ($1,194 vs. $1,931 and $2,076, respectively; p < or = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Significant racial and health insurance status disparities in prescription medication use and expenses exist after controlling for sociodemographic, geographic, and health status characteristics.
