Medical expenditures associated with diabetes among youth with medicaid coverage

Background: Information on diabetes-related excess medical expenditures for youth is important to understand the magnitude of financial burden and to plan the health care resources needed for managing diabetes. However, diabetes-related excess medical expenditures for youth covered by Medicaid program have not been investigated recently. Objective: To estimate excess diabetes-related medical expenditures among youth aged below 20 years enrolled in Medicaid programs in the United States. Methods: We analyzed data from 2008 to 2012 MarketScan multistate Medicaid database for 6502 youths with diagnosed diabetes and 6502 propensity score matched youths without diabetes, enrolled in fee-for-service payment plans. We stratified analysis by Medicaid eligibility criteria (poverty or disability). We used 2-part regression models to estimate diabetes-related excess medical expenditures, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, year of claims, depression status, asthma status, and interaction terms. Results: For poverty-based Medicaid enrollees, estimated annual diabetes-related total medical expenditure was $9046 per person [$3681 (no diabetes) vs. $12,727 (diabetes); P<0001], of which 41.7%, 34.0%, and 24.3% were accounted for by prescription drugs, outpatient, and inpatient care, respectively. For disability-based Medicaid enrollees, the estimated annual diabetes-related total medical expenditure was $9944 per person ($14,149 vs. $24,093; P