Examining racial and ethnic trends and differences in annual healthcare expenditures among a nationally representative sample of adults with arthritis from 2008 to 2016

BACKGROUND: Disparities in health care utilization and outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities with arthritis are well-established. However, there is a paucity of research on racial and ethnic differences in healthcare expenditures and if this relationship has changed over time. Our objectives were to: 1) examine trends in annual healthcare expenditures for adults with arthritis by race and ethnicity, and 2) determine if racial and ethnic differences in annual healthcare expenditures were independent of other factors such as healthcare access and functional disability. METHODS: We used the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (2008–2016) to examine trends in annual healthcare expenditures within and between racial and ethnic groups with arthritis (n = 227,663). A two-part model was used to estimate the marginal differences in expenditures by race and ethnicity after adjusting for relevant covariates, including the impact of healthcare access. RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2016, there were no significant changes in unadjusted healthcare expenditures within any of the racial and ethnic groups, but the trend among non-Hispanic whites did differ significantly from Hispanics and Other. In fully adjusted analysis, mean annual expenditures for non-Hispanic whites was $946, $939, and $1178 more than non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and Other, respectively (p < .001). Healthcare access also independently explained expenditure differences in this population with adults who delayed care spending significantly more ($2629) versus those who went without care spending significantly less (−$1591). CONCLUSIONS: Race and ethnicity are independent drivers of healthcare expenditures among adults with arthritis independent of healthcare access and functional disability. This underscores the need for ongoing research on the factors that influence persistent racial and ethnic differences in this population.