Dataset Information

Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Administrative records indicate that more than half of the 80 million Medicaid enrollees identify as belonging to a racial and ethnic minority group. Despite this, disparities within the Medicaid program remain understudied. For example, we know of no studies examining racial differences in Medicaid spending, a potential measure of how equitably state resources are allocated.

Objectives

To examine whether and to what extent there are differences in health care spending and utilization between Black and White enrollees in Medicaid.

Design setting and participants

This cross-sectional study used calendar year 2016 administrative data from 3 state Medicaid programs and included 1 966 689 Black and White Medicaid enrollees. Analyses were performed between January 28, 2021, and October 18, 2021.

Exposures

Self-reported race.

Main outcomes and measures

Rates and racial differences in health care spending and utilization (including Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set [HEDIS] access measures).

Results

Of 1 966 689 Medicaid adults and children (mean [SD] age, 20.3 [17.1] years; 1 119 136 [56.9%] female), 867 183 (44.1%) self-identified as non-Hispanic Black and 1 099 506 (55.9%) self-identified as non-Hispanic White. Results were adjusted for age, sex, Medicaid eligibility category, zip code, health status, and usual source of care. On average, annual spending on Black adult (19 years or older) Medicaid enrollees was $317 (95% CI, $259-$375) lower than White enrollees, a 6% difference. Among children (18 years or younger), annual spending on Black enrollees was $256 (14%) lower (95% CI, $222-$290). Adult Black enrollees also had 19.3 (95% CI, 16.78-21.84), or 4%, fewer primary care encounters per 100 enrollees per year compared with White enrollees. Among children, the differences in primary care utilization were larger: Black enrollees had 90.1 (95% CI, 88.2-91.8) fewer primary care encounters per 100 enrollees per year compared with White enrollees, a 23% difference. Black enrollees had lower utilization of most other services, including high-value prescription drugs, but higher emergency department use and rates of HEDIS preventive screenings.

Conclusions and relevance

In this cross-sectional study of US Medicaid enrollees in 3 states, Black enrollees generated lower spending and used fewer services, including primary care and recommended care for acute and chronic conditions, but had substantially higher emergency department use. While Black enrollees had higher rates of HEDIS preventive screenings, ensuring equitable access to all services in Medicaid must remain a national priority.

SUBMITTER: Wallace J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9187949 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees.

Wallace Jacob J Lollo Anthony A Duchowny Kate A KA Lavallee Matthew M Ndumele Chima D CD

JAMA health forum 20220610 6

<h4>Importance</h4>Administrative records indicate that more than half of the 80 million Medicaid enrollees identify as belonging to a racial and ethnic minority group. Despite this, disparities within the Medicaid program remain understudied. For example, we know of no studies examining racial differences in Medicaid spending, a potential measure of how equitably state resources are allocated.<h4>Objectives</h4>To examine whether and to what extent there are differences in health care spending ...[more]

PMID: 35977238

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Project description:ImportanceLittle is known about small-area variations in health care spending and utilization across the 3 major funders of health care in the US: Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers.ObjectiveTo measure regional health spending and utilization across Medicare, Medicaid, and the privately insured; to observe whether there are regions that are simultaneously low spending for all 3 payers; and to determine what factors are correlated with regional spending and utilization by payer.Design, setting, and participantsObservational cross-sectional analysis of the US health system in 2016 and 2017 for 241 of 306 hospital referral regions (HRRs) and 2 states. Participants include individuals with employer-sponsored coverage from Aetna, Humana, or UnitedHealth; individuals with Medicaid fee-for-service coverage in 2016 and 2017; and individuals with Medicare coverage. The analysis was carried out from January 2020 to May 2022.Main outcomes and measuresSpending per beneficiary and inpatient days per beneficiary by payer and overall.ResultsThe data include 25 381 167 individuals with employer-sponsored coverage, 69 891 299 with Medicaid coverage in 2016 and 2017, and 26 711 426 individuals with Medicare fee-for-service coverage. The percentage of enrollees who identified as female was 54.1% in the Medicaid program, 56.2% in the Medicare program, and 50.4% in private insurance. The mean (SD) age was 26.9 (21.8) years for Medicaid and 75.0 (7.9) years for Medicare enrollees; for private insurance enrollees, just age brackets were reported: 18 to 24 years (15.9%), 25 to 34 years (24.2%), 35 to 44 years (21.3%), 45 to 54 years (20.8%), and 55 to 64 years (17.8%). In 2017, the mean (SD) HRR-level spending per beneficiary was $4441 ($710) for private insurance, $10 281 ($1294) for Medicare, and $6127 ($1428) for Medicaid. Across HRRs, the correlation coefficients and 95% CIs were 0.020 (-0.106 to 0.146; P = .76) for private insurance and Medicare spending, 0.213 (0.090 to 0.330; P < .001) for private insurance and Medicaid, and 0.162 (0.037 to 0.282; P < .01) for Medicare and Medicaid. Just 3 HRRs (Boulder, Colorado; Bloomington, Illinois; and Olympia, Washington) were in the lowest spending quintile for all 3 insurance programs; 4 HRRs were in the highest (The Bronx, New York; Manhattan, New York; White Plains, New York; and Dallas, Texas). By contrast, the correlation coefficients and 95% CIs for utilization, measured in hospital days, were 0.465 (0.361 to 0.559; P < .001) for private insurance and Medicare, 0.527 (0.429 to 0.612; P < .001) for private insurance and Medicaid, and 0.278 (0.157 to 0.390; P < .001) for Medicare and Medicaid.Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that payer-specific factors are correlated with health spending variation among Medicare beneficiaries, Medicaid beneficiaries, and the commercially insured and that payer-specific policies will be necessary to improve efficiency in the US health sector.

Project description:IntroductionDifferences in healthcare utilization and medical expenditures associated with perinatal depression are estimated.MethodsUsing the MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid Database, the analytic cohort included individuals aged 15-44 years who had an inpatient live birth delivery hospitalization between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. Multivariable negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the differences in utilization associated with perinatal depression, and multivariable generalized linear models were used to estimate the differences in expenditures associated with perinatal depression. Analyses were conducted in 2021.ResultsThe cohort included 330,593 individuals. Nearly 17% had perinatal depression. Compared with individuals without perinatal depression individuals with perinatal depression had a larger number of inpatient admissions (0.19, 95% CI=0.18, 0.20), total inpatient days (0.95, 95% CI=0.92, 0.97), outpatient visits (14.02, 95% CI=13.81, 14.22), emergency department visits (1.70, 95% CI=1.66, 1.74), and weeks of drug therapy covered by a prescription (28.70, 95% CI=28.12, 29.28) and larger total expenditures ($5,078, 95% CI=$4,816, $5,340). Non-Hispanic Black individuals had larger differences in utilization and expenditures for inpatient services and outpatient visits but smaller differences in utilization for pharmaceutical services associated with perinatal depression than non-Hispanic White individuals. Hispanic individuals had larger differences in utilization for outpatient visits but smaller differences in utilization for pharmaceutical services associated with perinatal depression than non-Hispanic White individuals.ConclusionsIndividuals with perinatal depression had more healthcare utilization and medical expenditures than individuals without perinatal depression, and differences varied by race/ethnicity. The findings highlight the need to ensure comprehensive and equitable mental health care to address perinatal depression.

Dataset Information

Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees.

Importance

Objectives

Design setting and participants

Exposures

Main outcomes and measures

Results

Conclusions and relevance

Publications

Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees.

Similar Datasets

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