TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 and health care–related financial toxicity in the United States
T2 - Evidence from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey
AU - Datta, Biplab Kumar
AU - Coughlin, Steven S.
AU - Fazlul, Ishtiaque
AU - Pandey, Ajay
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - Background: Despite the common perception of the socioeconomic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, quantification of the relationship between COVID-19 and indicators of health care–related financial toxicity in the general population has been limited. This study aimed to provide estimates of these relationships in a nationally representative sample of the US adult population. Methods: Using the data on 27,480 adults from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, we fitted multivariable logistic regression models to assess the differential risks of financial toxicity as manifested by the financial hardship in paying medical bills, delayed and forgone medical care, and medication nonadherence, by COVID-19 diagnosis, severity, and duration of symptoms. Results: We found that compared to individuals not having COVID-19, individuals with severe symptoms of COVID-19 were 1.86, 1.50, 1.76, and 1.77 times more likely to experience financial hardship, delay medical care, forgo medical care, and skip/delay/take less medication, respectively. Similarly, individuals with symptoms lasting for 3 or more months were 1.94, 1.65, 1.87, and 2.20 times more likely to experience these measures of financial toxicity, respectively. Conclusions: The estimates of the relationship between COVID-19 and financial toxicity will facilitate effective communications for policy actions aimed at alleviating the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
AB - Background: Despite the common perception of the socioeconomic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, quantification of the relationship between COVID-19 and indicators of health care–related financial toxicity in the general population has been limited. This study aimed to provide estimates of these relationships in a nationally representative sample of the US adult population. Methods: Using the data on 27,480 adults from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, we fitted multivariable logistic regression models to assess the differential risks of financial toxicity as manifested by the financial hardship in paying medical bills, delayed and forgone medical care, and medication nonadherence, by COVID-19 diagnosis, severity, and duration of symptoms. Results: We found that compared to individuals not having COVID-19, individuals with severe symptoms of COVID-19 were 1.86, 1.50, 1.76, and 1.77 times more likely to experience financial hardship, delay medical care, forgo medical care, and skip/delay/take less medication, respectively. Similarly, individuals with symptoms lasting for 3 or more months were 1.94, 1.65, 1.87, and 2.20 times more likely to experience these measures of financial toxicity, respectively. Conclusions: The estimates of the relationship between COVID-19 and financial toxicity will facilitate effective communications for policy actions aimed at alleviating the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KW - Financial hardship
KW - Long COVID
KW - Medical bills
KW - Medical care
KW - Medication nonadherence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178575375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85178575375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ajic.2023.11.004
DO - 10.1016/j.ajic.2023.11.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 37956731
AN - SCOPUS:85178575375
SN - 0196-6553
VL - 52
SP - 392
EP - 399
JO - American Journal of Infection Control
JF - American Journal of Infection Control
IS - 4
ER -