Out-of-pocket costs among women with breast cancer: data from the medical expenditure panel survey, 1996-2005

Abstract #3111 BACKGROUND: The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of new therapies in cancer has increased the number of treatment options to patients but has also increased the cost of care. In an effort to manage costs, patients are increasingly asked to pay more out of pocket (OOP), which may result in patients having to make financial trade-offs and potentially not receiving the best therapies because of financial barriers. Data on socioeconomic characteristics and OOP costs among women with breast cancer are limited. This study provides detailed data on the OOP costs of a nationally representative sample of breast cancer patients from a large-scale survey in the US. METHODS: This retrospective database study included all female respondents in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) between 1996 and 2005 who had a breast cancer diagnosis (ICD-9-CM 174) recorded on a pharmacy, inpatient, outpatient, office, home health, or ER claim. All 10 years were pooled and weighted to create nationally representative estimates. Descriptive analyses of demographics, socioeconomics, and insurance status were performed (patients were deemed uninsured if they reported no insurance at any point during the year), and total annual medical expenditures, OOP expenditures (not including premiums), and family income (in 2007 US $) were analyzed. Patients were defined as having a high OOP burden if their OOP expenditures exceeded 10% of annual family income (or 5% if low income). RESULTS: We identified 728 women for inclusion in this study, representing 798,342 individuals in the US (mean age: 61 yrs; 86% white and 6% African American; 25% low income [