Health care expenses for adults with chronic conditions, 2005

Summary: Previous research has shown that a small number of conditions, most of them chronic, account for a large proportion of overall medical expenses (Cohen and Krauss 2003; Soni 2007). This Statistical Brief focuses on overall expenditures among adults for chronic conditions, as well as acute care expenses for adults with chronic conditions and variations by age and type of service. Chronic conditions are defined as conditions that are expected to last at least one year and result in limitations in self-care, independent living, and social interactions or in the need for ongoing medical intervention (Perrin et al. 1993; Hwang et al. 2001). The estimates presented are for the adult population age 18 and over in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2005 based on data collected in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC) and Medical Provider Component (MEPS-MPC). Health care expenses represent payments to hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers for services reported by respondents in the MEPS-HC. These payments include amounts paid for various services by individuals, private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and other payment sources. Expenses for dental care and medical equipment and supplies are not included because these services are not linked to specific conditions in the survey. All differences between estimates discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.

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