OBJECTIVES:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex, chronic, autoimmune neuro-inflammatory disorder with significant healthcare burden. However, little is known about the healthcare expenditure burden since the introduction of oral agents for MS after 2010. This study analyzed healthcare expenditures in patients with MS using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2010-2015.

METHODS:

This retrospective cross-sectional study included adult (≥18 years) patients with MS (Clinical Classification Code “080”) and those without MS based on the 2010–2015 MEPS Household Component and Full year consolidated data files. Healthcare expenditures included inpatient, outpatient, emergency room, prescription medications, and other medical services. Descriptive weighted analyses were performed to compare the healthcare expenditures between patients with MS and without MS. The two-part model involving probit and generalized linear models was used to estimate the marginal increase in total expenditures for MS patients. All the analyses were performed using SAS 9.4 or STATA 14.2.

RESULTS:

According to the 2010-2015 MEPS, there were 0.61 (95% CI 0.50–0.72) million patients diagnosed with MS accounting for a prevalence of 0.25%. The two-part model showed that the marginal total healthcare expenditure in patients diagnosed with MS was $20,103.49 (95% CI $14,516.24–$25,690.73) more compared to those without MS. Further, the mean adjusted prescription medications expenditure for MS group was $13,092.16 (95% CI $9,452.2–$16,732.12) higher than non-MS group and accounted for 65.12% of the total healthcare expenditure in MS.

CONCLUSIONS:

MS is an expensive neuro-inflammatory disease with a majority of the expenditure burden attributable to prescription medications. High prescription expenditure burden can be a barrier to optimal patient care in MS.