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Healthcare-Related Financial Burden Among Families in the U.S.: The Role of Childhood Activity Limitations and Income

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Abstract

This study examined the impact of childhood activity limitations on family financial burden in the U.S. We used ten complete panels (1996–2006) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to evaluate the burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures for 17,857 families with children aged 0–17 years. Multivariate generalized linear models were used to examine the relationship between childhood activity limitation status and both absolute and relative financial burden. Families of children with limitations had higher absolute out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures than families of children without limitations ($594.36 higher; p < 0.05), and were 54% more likely to experience relative burden (p < 0.05). Substantial socioeconomic disparities in financial burden were observed. Policies are needed to enable these families to access appropriate and affordable healthcare services.

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Notes

  1. Please note that “ongoing limitations” are defined in the section on ‘Independent variables’ in the Methods of the paper.

Abbreviations

MEPS:

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

MSA:

Metropolitan Statistical Area

OOP:

Out-of-pocket

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD049533, Principal Investigator W.P. Witt) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (MSN106189, Principal Investigator J. Mullahy). We would also like to thank Jing Jian Xiao, Manouchehr Mokhtari, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions and comments.

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None of the authors has a conflict of interest with this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 503, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Whitney P. Witt

  2. Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 554, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Kristin Litzelman

  3. Center for Research on Gender & Sexuality, San Francisco State University, 835 Market St., Ste. 517, San Francisco, CA, 94103, USA

    Carmen G. Mandic

  4. Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 558, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Lauren E. Wisk & Paul D. Creswell

  5. University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 307, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    John M. Hampton

  6. Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 532, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Carissa A. Gottlieb

  7. Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 610 Walnut Street, WARF 603, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Ronald E. Gangnon

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  1. Whitney P. Witt
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Correspondence to Whitney P. Witt.

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Witt, W.P., Litzelman, K., Mandic, C.G. et al. Healthcare-Related Financial Burden Among Families in the U.S.: The Role of Childhood Activity Limitations and Income. J Fam Econ Iss 32, 308–326 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-011-9253-4

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