Comparisons of changes over time in per capita health expenditures across racial and ethnic groups

The study compared changes over time in health expenditures across race and ethnicity, using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Changes from 1996-1997 to 2004-2005 were compared between non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) and between NHW and Hispanic Whites (HW). Three expenditure measures were used: annual expenditures per capita, annual out-of-pocket expenditures per capita (OOPE), and OOPE as a proportion of family income per capita. A linear regression-based difference-in-difference model was analysed by including interaction terms between the latter time period and dummy variables for NHB and HW. NHW had higher increases in annual expenditures per capita than HW ($1657.31 vs. $435.49, p < 0.0001); NHW had similar increases to NHB ($1657.31 vs. $1300.77, p = 0.293). The former comparison was significant in the multivariate analysis (p < 0.001) but the latter was not (p = 0.686). The findings on OOPE were similar to those on expenditures. There were no significant racial or ethnic differences in the changes in OOPE as a proportion of family income per capita. Compared to NHW, HB and HW had lower expenditures throughout the study period, but their increases in financial burden were not higher.