학술논문

The influence of race, gender and mental disorder on healthcare service utilization and costs among the medicare elderly
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
Research in Healthcare Financial Management. Annual 2003, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p19, 11 p.
Subject
United States
Language
English
ISSN
1524-1521
Abstract
This research investigates how race, gender, and psychiatric morbidity influence health care service utilization and costs among the Medicare elderly. Multivariate ANOVA means are estimated on a 5 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries in Tennessee (n = 33,680) to compare healthcare service utilization and costs by race, gender, and psychiatric morbidity. Psychiatric diagnoses dramatically increase health service utilization and healthcare costs for all of the race and gender groups. African American men have significantly higher costs than Caucasians and African American women. Findings suggest that race and gender interact to influence health service utilization and costs of care, and that psychiatric diagnoses dramatically influence healthcare service utilization and costs. Increased attention to psychiatric illness, preventive health, and the management of chronic illness for African Americans could dramatically lower healthcare costs.
In the general population, the research literature consistently shows that African Americans have higher morbidity rates for various types of diseases including strokes, kidney problems, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, AIDS, [...]