Long-Term Survival with Sickle Cell Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study of Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries.

We report the first population-based period life table, the expected lifetime survival for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and the disparities in survival by insurance types in the United States. We constructed a retrospective cohort of individuals with diagnosed SCD receiving Common Care (any real-world patterns of care except transplant) based on nationwide Medicare and Medicaid claims data (2008-2016), covering beneficiaries in all 50 states. We analyzed lifetime survival probabilities using Kaplan-Meier curves and projected life expectancies at various ages for all and stratified by sex and insurance types. Our analysis included 94,616 individuals with SCD that have not undergone any transplant. Life expectancy at birth was 52.6 years (95% CI: 51.9, 53.4). Compared to the adults covered by Medicaid only, those covered by Medicare for disabilities or end-stage renal disease and those dually insured by Medicare and Medicaid had significantly worse life expectancy. Similarly, for beneficiaries aged ≥65 years, these two insurance types were associated with significantly shorter life expectancy than those enrolled in Medicare old age and survivor's insurance. Our study underscores the persistent life expectancy shortfall for SCD patients, the burden of premature mortality during adulthood, and survival disparities by insurance status.