Are comorbidities associated with differences in healthcare charges among lung cancer patients in US hospitals? Focusing on variances by patient and socioeconomic factors.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical aspects of lung cancer patients are well-studied. However, healthcare charge patterns have yet to be explored through a large-scale representative population-based sample investigating differences by socioeconomic factors and comorbidities.

AIM: To identify how comorbidities associated with healthcare charges among lung cancer patients.

METHODS: We examined the characteristics of the patient sample and the association between comorbidity status (diabetes, hypertension, or both) and healthcare charge. Multivariate survey linear regression models were used to estimate the association. We also investigated sub-group association through various patient and socioeconomic factors.

RESULTS: Of 212,745 lung cancer patients, 68.5% had diabetes and/or hypertension. Hospital charges were higher in the population with comorbidities. The results showed that lung cancer patients with comorbidities had 9.4%, 5.1%, and 12.0% (with diabetes, hypertension, and both, respectively) higher hospital charges than those without comorbidities. In sub-group analysis, Black patients also showed a similar trend across socioeconomic (i.e. household income and primary payer) and racial (i.e. White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander) factors.

DISCUSSION: Black patients may be significantly financially burdened because of the prevalence of comorbidities and low-income status. More work is required to ensure healthcare equality and promote access to care for the uninsured, low-income, and minority populations because comorbidities common in these populations can create more significant financial barriers.