Medicaid Costs for Children Living with Smokers
Author Information
Author(s): Douglas E Levy, Nancy A Rigotti, Jonathan P Winickoff
Primary Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital
Hypothesis
What are the Medicaid expenditures for children living with smokers compared to those living with non-smokers?
Conclusion
Living with at least one smoker is unrelated to children's overall short-term Medicaid expenditures, but has a modest impact on emergency department expenditures.
Supporting Evidence
- Children with Medicaid expenditures were nearly twice as likely to live with a smoker as other children in the U.S. population.
- Adjusted analyses revealed no detectable differences in children's overall Medicaid expenditures by presence of smokers in the household.
- Medicaid children who lived with smokers had higher emergency department expenditures.
Takeaway
Kids who live with smokers don't spend more on health care overall, but they might go to the emergency room a bit more often.
Methodology
The study analyzed Medicaid expenditures for children aged 0-11 using data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Surveys from 2000-2007, focusing on children enrolled in Medicaid.
Potential Biases
Potential confounding factors related to socioeconomic status and access to healthcare may influence the results.
Limitations
The study did not directly measure exposure to secondhand smoke and focused only on short-term expenditures.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 0-11 years, with a significant proportion living with smokers, and a majority enrolled in Medicaid for at least part of the year.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
$3, $18
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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