On average, people with disabilities consume a disproportionate amount of healthcare services. The healthcare use and expenditure patterns of people with disabilities, and the extent to which those patterns are shaped by health plan coverage type are not well understood. We analyzed data from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to examine the healthcare use and expenditure profile of adults with disabilities, and to compare those patterns across categories of disability severity (functional limitations: none, moderate, or severe) and health plan type (managed care, fee-for-service). We examined utilization of, and expenditures for the full spectrum of health care services covered in the MEPS. We computed the total annual expenditure value for each case, and computed the average percent of the healthcare dollar that is spent on each specific service area. We then compared average percents across categories of disability severity and health plan type. Those in MC plans had lower total annual expenditures than those in FFS plans in each disability severity category - due in part to the younger average age of people in MC plans. Regardless of disability severity, 35% of the Managed health care dollar went toward office-based visits, on average. The percentage of the FFS health care dollar spent on office-based visits declined from 35% among those with no disability, to 25% among those with severe disability. Future research is necessary to determine the extent to which these differences in average expenditure patterns is due to true service delivery differences between MC and FFS plans. See www.nrhchdr.org
Learning Objectives: 1) Understand the healthcare utilization and expenditure profile of people with disabilities. 2) Discuss the difference in utilization and expenditure profiles of people with disabilities across categories of disability severity and health plan coverage type.
Keywords: Disability, Health Care
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