The objective of the study is to estimate excess medical expenditures and out-of-pocket costs of covid-19 in Medicare Beneficiaries with diabetes. Data were from the 100% Medicare claims database among 10,692,964 beneficiaries enrolled in fee-for-service plans from 03/2020 to 02/2022. Persons with diabetes and covid-19 infection were identified using International Classification of Diseases codes. A beneficiary with any covid-19-related claims at any time during the study period was defined as a covid-19 patient. We compared medical expenditures (total, inpatient, outpatient, prescription, others) and out-of-pocket costs (OOP) between diabetes beneficiaries with and without covid-19 during the 2-year period. Per capita spending and OOP were calculated as total medical expenditures divided by the number of patients by covid-19 status. Per capita medical expenditures in total and by service type and OOP in persons with or without covid-19 and excess expenditures associated with covid-19 are presented in the Table. covid-19 imposed a substantial financial burden on the health care system and persons with diabetes.
Y.Wang: None. P.Zhang: None. X.Zhou: None. G.Imperatore: None.
