Measures of Financial Hardship From Health Care Expenses Among Families With a Member With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the US

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) face substantial financial burden from health care costs as assessed by many disparate measures. However, evaluation of the concordance of existing measures and the prevalence of financial burden based on these measures is lacking. OBJECTIVE To compare subjectively reported and objectively measured financial burden from health care in families of patients with ASCVD.

Health Care Expenses and Financial Hardship Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Functional Disability

“…Our primary outcomes included objective and subjective financial hardship from health care expenses . Objective financial hardship was assessed using 3 measures: annual out-of-pocket spending (the total amount of health care expenses covered directly by individuals or families), high financial burden (whether out-of-pocket spending exceeded 20% of annual postsubsistence family income [income after accounting for food-related expenses]), and catastrophic financial burden (whether out-of-pocket spending exceeded 40% of annual postsubsistence family income) .…”

“…Our primary outcomes included objective and subjective financial hardship from health care expenses. 21 Objective financial hardship was assessed using 3 measures: annual out-of-pocket spending (the total amount of health care expenses covered directly by individuals or families), high financial burden (whether out-of-pocket spending exceeded 20% of annual postsubsistence family income [income after accounting for food-related expenses]), and catastrophic financial burden (whether out-of-pocket spending exceeded 40% of annual postsubsistence family income). 22 To pinpoint the primary source of financial hardship, we analyzed out-of-pocket spending both in aggregate and for 6 specific service categories (inpatient admissions, clinician visits, emergency department [ED] visits, prescription drugs, home health, and equipment and supplies).…”

Patient satisfaction with the quality of care received is associated with adherence to antidepressant medications

“…Among eligible participants, we included those who had a self-reported diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). All medical conditions, including MDD are captured in the medical conditions file of MEPS and classified using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-10-CM] codes [27]. We identified MDD based on the following ICD-10-CM codes: F32, F33, F34, and F39.…”