Dataset Information

Multimorbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine in Europe: Longitudinal analysis of 13 European countries between 2013 and 2015.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many European Health Systems are implementing or increasing levels of cost-sharing for medicine in response to the growing constrains on public spending on health despite their negative impact on population health due to delay in seeking care.

Objective

This study aims to examine the relationships between multimorbidity (two or more coexisting chronic diseases, CDs), complex multimorbidity (three or more CDs impacting at least three different body systems), and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for medicine across European nations.

Methods

This study utilized data on participants aged 50 years and above from two recent waves of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe conducted in 2013 (n = 55,806) and 2015 (n = 51,237). Pooled cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were used, as well as a two-part model, to analyse the association between multimorbidity and OOPE for medicine.

Results

The prevalence of multimorbidity was 50.4% in 2013 and 48.2% in 2015. Nearly half of those with multimorbidity had complex multimorbidity. Each additional CD was associated with a 34% greater likelihood of incurring any OOPE for medicine (Odds ratio = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.31-1.36). The average incremental OOPE for medicine was 26.4 euros for each additional CD (95% CI = 25.1-27·7), and 32.1 euros for each additional body system affected (95% CI 30.6-33.7). In stratified analyses for country-specific quartiles of household income the average incremental OOPE for medicine was not significantly different across groups.

Conclusion

Between 2013 and 2015 in 13 European Health Systems increased prevalence of CDs was associated with greater likelihood of having OOPE on medication and an increase in the average amount spent when one occurred. Monitoring this indicator is important considering the negative association with treatment adherence and subsequent effects on health.

SUBMITTER: Palladino R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9850796 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Multimorbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine in Europe: Longitudinal analysis of 13 European countries between 2013 and 2015.

Palladino Raffaele R Pan Tianxin T Mercer Stewart W SW Atun Rifat R McPake Barbara B Rubba Fabiana F Triassi Maria M Lee John Tayu JT

Frontiers in public health 20230105

<h4>Background</h4>Many European Health Systems are implementing or increasing levels of cost-sharing for medicine in response to the growing constrains on public spending on health despite their negative impact on population health due to delay in seeking care.<h4>Objective</h4>This study aims to examine the relationships between multimorbidity (two or more coexisting chronic diseases, CDs), complex multimorbidity (three or more CDs impacting at least three different body systems), and out-of-p ...[more]

PMID: 36684900

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundMultimorbidity (the presence of two or more non-communicable diseases) is a major growing challenge for many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Yet, its effects on health care costs and financial burden for patients have not been adequately studied. This study investigates the effect of multimorbidity across the different percentiles of healthcare utilisation and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE).MethodsWe conducted a secondary data analysis of the 2014/2015 Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5), which included 13,798 respondents aged ≥40 years. Poisson regression was used to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and the total number of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while multivariate logistic regression and quantile regression analysis was used to estimate the associations between multimorbidity, health service use and OOPE.ResultsOverall, 20.8% of total participants had two or more NCDs in 2014/2015. The number of NCDs was associated with higher healthcare utilisation (coefficient 0.11, 95% CI 0.07-0.14 for outpatient care and coefficient 0.09 (95% CI 0.02-0.16 for inpatient care) and higher four-weekly OOPE (coefficient 27.0, 95% CI 11.4-42.7). The quantile regression results indicated that the marginal effect of having three or more NCDs on the absolute amount of four-weekly OOPE was smaller for the lower percentiles (at the 25th percentile, coefficient 1.0, 95% CI 0.5-1.5) but more pronounced for the higher percentile of out-of-pocket spending distribution (at the 90th percentile, coefficient 31.0, 95% CI 15.9-46.2).ConclusionMultimorbidity is positively correlated with health service utilisation and OOPE and has a significant effect, especially among those in the upper tail of the utilisation/costs distribution. Health financing strategies are urgently required to meet the needs of patients with multimorbidity, particularly for vulnerable groups that have a higher level of health care utilisation.

Project description:ObjectivesIndividuals with multimorbidity use more health services and take more medicines. This can lead to high out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare expenditure. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the association between multimorbidity (two or more chronic conditions) and OOP healthcare expenditure in a nationally representative sample of adults aged 50 years or over.DesignCross-sectional analysis of data collected in 2016 from wave 4 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.SettingIreland.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over.MethodA generalised linear model with log-link and gamma distributed errors was fitted to assess the association between multimorbidity and OOP healthcare expenditure (including general practitioner, emergency department, outpatients, specialist consultations, hospital admissions, home care and prescription drugs).ResultsOverall, 3453 (58.5%) participants had multimorbidity. Among those with any OOP healthcare expenditure, individuals with multimorbidity spent more on average per annum (€806.8 for two conditions, €885.8 for three or more conditions), than individuals with no conditions (€580.3). Pharmacy-dispensed medicine expenditure was the largest component of expenditure. People with multimorbidity on average spent more of their equivalised household income on healthcare (7.1% for two conditions, 9.7% for three or more conditions), than people with no conditions (5.0%). A strong positive association was found between number of conditions and OOP healthcare expenditure (p<0.001) and between having private health insurance and OOP healthcare expenditure (p<0.001). A strong negative association was found between eligibility for free primary/hospital care and heavily subsidised medicines and OOP healthcare expenditure (p<0.001).ConclusionsThis study suggests that having multimorbidity in Ireland increases OOP healthcare expenditure, which is problematic for those with more conditions who have lower incomes. This highlights the need for this financial burden to be considered when designing healthcare/funding systems to address multimorbidity, so that access to essential healthcare can be maximised for those with greatest need.

Project description:BackgroundThe burden of non-communicable disease (NCDs) has grown rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where populations are ageing, with rising prevalence of multimorbidity (more than two co-existing chronic conditions) that will significantly increase pressure on already stretched health systems. We assess the impact of NCD multimorbidity on healthcare utilisation and out-of-pocket expenditures in six middle-income countries: China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa.MethodsSecondary analyses of cross-sectional data from adult participants (>18 years) in the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) 2007-2010. We used multiple logistic regression to determine socio-demographic correlates of multimorbidity. Association between the number of NCDs and healthcare utilisation as well as out-of-pocket spending was assessed using logistic, negative binominal and log-linear models.ResultsThe prevalence of multimorbidity in the adult population varied from 3.9% in Ghana to 33.6% in Russia. Number of visits to doctors in primary and secondary care rose substantially for persons with increasing numbers of co-existing NCDs. Multimorbidity was associated with more outpatient visits in China (coefficient for number of NCD = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.46, 0.66), a higher likelihood of being hospitalised in India (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.45, 1.75), higher out-of-pocket expenditures for outpatient visits in India and China, and higher expenditures for hospital visits in Russia. Medicines constituted the largest proportion of out-of-pocket expenditures in persons with multimorbidity (88.3% for outpatient, 55.9% for inpatient visit in China) in most countries.ConclusionMultimorbidity is associated with higher levels of healthcare utilisation and greater financial burden for individuals in middle-income countries. Our study supports the WHO call for universal health insurance and health service coverage in LMICs, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly with multimorbidity.

Dataset Information

Multimorbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine in Europe: Longitudinal analysis of 13 European countries between 2013 and 2015.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Multimorbidity and out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine in Europe: Longitudinal analysis of 13 European countries between 2013 and 2015.

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