Assessment of excess medical costs for persons with type 2 diabetes according to age groups: an analysis of German health insurance claims data
Kähm, Stark, Laxy, Schneider, Leidl (2020) Assessment of excess medical costs for persons with type 2 diabetes according to age groups: an analysis of German health insurance claims data Diabet Med (IF: -1) 37(10) 1752-1758Abstract
This cross-sectional study used a large nationwide claims data set to assess the excess medical costs of people with type 2 diabetes according to age group in 2015.Data from 291 709 people with diabetes and 291 709 age- and sex-matched controls were analysed. Total costs (expressed as 2015 euros) of outpatient and inpatient services, medication, rehabilitation, and the provision of aids and appliances were examined. Overall and age-stratified excess costs of people with diabetes were estimated using gamma regression with a log-link.Overall, the estimated total direct costs of a person with type 2 diabetes are approximately double those of a person without diabetes: €4727 vs. €2196, respectively. Absolute excess costs were approximately the same in all age groups (around €2500), however, relative excess costs of persons with diabetes were much higher in younger (~ 334% for < 50 years) than in older age groups (~ 156% for ≥ 80 years). Regional costs, both absolute and excess, partly differed from the national level.This study complements and updates previous studies on the excess medical costs of people with diabetes in Germany. The results indicate the importance of preventing the development of type 2 diabetes, especially in younger age groups. Longitudinal and regional studies examining changes in prevalence and the development of excess costs in groups with different types of diabetes, and according to age, would be of interest to validate our findings and better understand the avoidable burden of having diabetes.© 2019 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Diabetes UK.
Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31834643http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dme.14213
