PCN227 ESTIMATES OF CANCER BURDEN: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY

Abstract

To quantify the incremental health care service use and expenditures attributable to cancer using a nationally representative sample of the US population. Data were obtained from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) between 2008 and 2015. Adults aged 18 or older who identified themselves diagnosed with any types of cancer were studied. Individuals with cancer were matched to those without cancer in terms of demographics and comorbidities based on a propensity score (PS). For outcomes of health care use, a negative binomial model (or a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model for the outcomes with excessive zeros) was employed. To analyze the outcomes of health care spending, a generalized linear model (GLM) with a log link function and gamma distributed errors (or a two-part model for zero-inflated expenditure data) was used. Compared to the PS-matched non-cancer cohort, individuals with cancer received 1.05, 1.08, and 1.76 times more frequent annual emergency department (ED) visit care, hospitalization care, and hospital outpatient visit care, respectively. In addition, people with cancer received prescription medications and office-based visit care about 5 times and 20 times more frequently. An average annual total health care spending among those with cancer was about $4,100 higher. Their average annual expenses on hospitalizations, office-based visits, hospital outpatient visits, and prescriptions were about $1,400, $1,400, $700, and $300 higher, respectively, compared to the non-cancer control. However, there was no significant differences in expenses on ED visit and out-of-pocket expenses on prescription drugs between people with cancer and the matched control. Individuals with cancer used all types of health care services more frequently compared to the matched non-cancer control between 2008 and 2015. As such, expenditures on various types of health care services among individuals with cancer were significantly higher during this time period.