Health care costs among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within several large, multi-state employers.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-attributable medical resource utilization and health care costs among employed individuals and their covered dependents with COPD.


METHODS
Retrospective health care claims analysis. Employees and dependents 40 to 63 years old with a diagnosis of COPD between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2002 were matched to two separate control cohorts. Medical resource utilization and health care costs were compared between cohorts.


RESULTS
A total of 6445 individuals with COPD were matched to each control cohort. Mean age was 55.1 years, and cohorts were approximately 50% men. COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and adjusted pharmacy, medical, and total health care costs than both control cohorts (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
COPD subjects had significantly higher utilization and costs than individuals without COPD. Thus, the economic burden of COPD is present in younger, working individuals, as well as in the older, retired population.
Darkow
Theodore
T
Health Economics and Outcomes, i3 Innovus, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344, USA. theodore.darkow@i3innovus.com
Chastek
Benjamin J
BJ
Shah
Hemal
H
Phillips
Amy L
AL
D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States