National estimates of out-of-pocket health care expenditure burdens among nonelderly adults with cancer: 2001 to 2008.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To compare the prevalence of high out-of-pocket burdens among patients with cancer with other chronically ill and well patients, and to examine the sociodemographic characteristics associated with high burdens among patients with cancer.

Methods

The sample included persons 18 to 64 years of age who received treatment for cancer, taken from a nationally representative sample of the US population from the 2001 to 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We examined the proportion of persons living in families with high out-of-pocket burdens associated with medical spending, including insurance premiums, relative to income, defining high health care (total) burden as spending more than 20% of income on health care (and premiums).

Results

The risk of high burdens is

SUBMITTER: Bernard DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3139395 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature