OBJECTIVES: To compare health care costs among persons with asthma who took daily asthma medications with those who did not. We also evaluated whether costs differed by age or race/ethnicity.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2012-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to identify persons with asthma age =18 who reported taking one or more daily medication to prevent asthma exacerbations (asthma medication). Medication use and health care costs were self-reported. A two-part linear regression model was used to calculate total health care costs for persons with asthma controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, insurance status, Charlson’s comorbidity index (CCI), and asthma attack in past 12 months. Tests of homogeneity were used to determine if costs differed by age or race/ethnicity.
RESULTS: Of 1,336 adults who reported having asthma, 60.2% reported taking daily asthma medication. About half were non-Hispanic white, women, and aged 41-64 years. Nearly 85% reported at least one comorbidity at baseline; 60% reported having an asthma attack in the last 12 months. In adjusted results, total direct healthcare costs were significantly higher for persons who reported taking daily asthma medications compared with those who did not ($15,149 vs $7,485; p<0.001). This association differed by race/ethnicity and age: non-Hispanic whites and persons aged 41-64 years reported greater total healthcare costs (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Persons with asthma who took daily asthma medication had higher health care costs compared to those who did not. It would be useful for future research to identify factors that may be associated with higher costs and to explore racial/ethnic disparities. Results could help medical and public health practitioners to better understand issues related to high healthcare costs, and may be useful to develop strategies to reduce these costs among persons with asthma.
