COVID-19's Impact on Healthcare Access for Arthritis Patients: Insights From the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

OBJECTIVES: Arthritis is a common disorder that affects joints and leads to inflammation and swelling. Access to care is an important social health determinant affecting health outcomes. Therefore, the study aimed to identify the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare access and predictive risk factors for arthritis patients.

METHODS: This study utilizes data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) for 2020. MEPS is a nationally representative survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ). The study included adults aged 18 and above diagnosed with arthritis. The analysis centered on the outcome variable (CVDLAYCA53), for medical care delays due to COVID-19.

RESULTS: A total of (48663856) eligible participants. The majority were over the age of 50(86.26%), female (61.39%), and White (75.85%). Osteoporosis was common (41.89%), as were chronic diseases such as hypertension (63.36%) and cancer (25.90). The logistic regression showed a positive link between arthritis patients with cancer had 1.31 times higher odds of medical care delays than those without cancer. Conversely, gender had a negative association with healthcare access, Men were less likely to experience a delay in accessing healthcare, with an odds ratio of 0.79, and being divorced or widowed demonstrated a1.64 and 1.33 times higher odds of having medical care delays due to COVID-19, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings emphasize the need to prioritize interventions that address the barriers to healthcare access faced by arthritis patients, particularly those with cancer. Furthermore, strategies to improve healthcare access for older arthritis patients should consider gender and marital status as these factors can also impact healthcare utilization.