Trends and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health Care Spending Stratified by Gender among Adults with Arthritis in the United States 2011–2019

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were racial/ethnic differences and patterns for individual office-based visit expenditures by gender among a nationally representative sample of adults with arthritis. We retrospectively analyzed pooled data from the 2011 to 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of adults who self-reported an arthritis diagnosis, stratified by gender (men = 13,378; women = 33,261). Our dependent variable was office-based visit expenditures. Our independent variables were survey year (categorized as 2011–2013, 2014–2016, 2017–2019) and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic other/multiracial). We conducted trends analysis to assess for changes in expenditures over time. We utilized a two-part model to assess differences in office-based expenditures among participants who had any office-based expenditure and then calculated the average marginal effects. The unadjusted office-based visit expenditures increased significantly across the study period for both men and women with arthritis, as well as for some racial and ethnic groups depending on gender. Differing racial and ethnic patterns of expenditures by gender remained after accounting for socio-demographic, healthcare access, and health status factors. Delaying care was an independent driver of higher office-based expenditures for women with arthritis but not men. Our findings reinforce the escalating burden of healthcare costs among U.S. adults with arthritis across genders and certain racial and ethnic groups.