Risk factors for financial toxicity in health care

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Financial toxicity (FT) describes the negative effects of healthcare expenses on patients' financial stability and access to care.
• Existing research on FT primarily focuses on specific conditions like cancer, necessitating a broader population-level analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key risk factors associated with financial toxicity across the general adult population.
• To understand the prevalence and determinants of financial hardship due to healthcare costs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data was conducted.
• Financial toxicity was measured using an unweighted sum of responses to eight financial hardship questions, termed the FinTox score.
• A negative binomial model was employed to analyze risk factors for the FinTox score.

Main Results:

• The study included 27,246 adults; 17.1% reported at least one financial hardship related to healthcare costs.
• Factors associated with lower financial toxicity included increasing age, higher education, and higher income.
• Conversely, involuntary unemployment, temporary loss of health insurance, and high-deductible health plans were linked to increased financial toxicity.

Conclusions:

• Identifying population-level risk factors for financial toxicity is crucial for proactive patient identification and intervention.
• This understanding can guide strategies to mitigate catastrophic financial outcomes and improve healthcare access for vulnerable populations.