Economic Burden of the Out-of-Pocket Expenses for People with Multiple Sclerosis in France

BACKGROUND: People with chronic diseases in France frequently incur out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) related to their medical care. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate OOPE incurred by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with respect to direct non-medical and medical expenditure. METHODS: Data were collected through a web-based survey using an online patient community platform (Carenity). The survey questionnaire contained 87 questions (numerical response or Likert scale) and took less than 30 min to complete. Participants rated their disability on a ten-point scale. RESULTS: In total, 376 patients, with a mean age of 48.3 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 47.2–49.5), participated in the survey. Participants estimated that they spent an average of €127 each month on OOPE for their MS, principally on physician consultations (mean annual expenditure of €75 by 183 participants), non-physician consultations (€358 by 135 participants) and non-prescription medication (mean expense of €67 per pharmacy visit by 234 patients). In total, 77% of participants who needed adaptations to their home or vehicle because of their MS contributed to the cost. No obvious relationship between OOPE and self-rated disability was observed. A total of 61.4% of participants reported that they had to choose between spending money on MS care or on their family and social life. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with MS incurred significant OOPE linked to consultations, non-prescription medications or home equipment and medical equipment. These outlays could lead to dilemmas when choosing between spending on MS care or family or social life.