Evaluation of the association between health insurance status and healthcare utilization and expenditures among adult cancer survivors in the United States

Background: 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.Methods: 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.Results: 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.Conclusions: 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. Lower utilization of health care services among uninsured suggests cost maybe a barrier to accessing care.