Now, researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, US are reporting the results of a new study which shows that food-insecure households have higher health care expenditure than households that are food-secure.
The study was published in the January issue of health matters.
“We know that food insecurity has a negative impact on individual health outcomes,” said Deepak Palakshappa, MD, associate professor of general internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the study’s principal investigator. “But we need a better understanding of the financial impacts on families and health care expenditures.”
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In a retrospective study, Palakshappa’s team sought to determine the relationship between a household’s food insecurity during one year and their health care expenditures over the next year. The researchers analyzed data from the 2016 and 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a large-scale survey conducted annually by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that represents the US population. The survey collects information about health care services, health insurance, expenditures, and socio-demographic characteristics from US medical providers.
The team collected data on 14,666 individuals from 6,621 households and found that total health care expenditures for food-insecure households were 20% higher than for food-secure households, an annual difference of approximately $2,456.
“We found that food insecurity in 2016 was associated with increased care spending among households in 2017, regardless of insurance coverage type,” Palakshappa said.
Finding ways to solve food insecurity
The results also have important implications for any potential programs or policies aimed at addressing food insecurity.
“Interventions that address food insecurity in one or more specific household members may also provide benefits to others in the household,” Palakshappa said. “And there is potential financial benefit for insurers to invest in these programs.”
Palakshappa’s team also found that 1 in 5 households had more than one insurance plan, making it challenging to determine the full financial benefits of food insecurity interventions in households with mixed insurance coverage.
“More parents are enrolling their children in Medicaid or CHIP instead of their employer-sponsored health insurance because of the higher out-of-pocket costs,” Palakshappa said. “However, the expansion of public subsidies such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or child tax credits could reduce food insecurity.”
Palakshappa said additional research is needed to evaluate how addressing food insecurity at a patient visit might impact other family members’ health outcomes and health care use.
Source: EurekAlert
