Health Care Encounters and Expenditures Among Children With Diagnosed Tic Disorders and Co-Occurring Disorders, 2022

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health Economics
• Clinical Epidemiology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Tic disorders affect children's health and healthcare utilization.
• Understanding the economic burden of tic disorders is crucial for resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calculate 2022 incremental healthcare expenditures for children with tic disorders versus those without.
• To analyze healthcare spending patterns stratified by insurance type (Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance).

Main Methods:

• Utilized Merative MarketScan databases (Medicaid and ESI) for children aged 6-17.
• Compared expenditures for children with and without tic disorders, matched on age, sex, and coverage.
• Employed regression models to estimate adjusted differences in total and service-specific expenditures.

Main Results:

• Children with tic disorders had over double the mean expenditures in both Medicaid ($4,549) and ESI ($9,870) samples.
• Adjusted analysis showed a significant $1,641 higher expenditure for ESI-enrolled children with tic disorders (p<0.001).
• No significant difference in adjusted mean expenditures was found in the Medicaid sample (-$15).

Conclusions:

• Children with tic disorders exhibit substantial healthcare utilization and expenditures.
• Higher costs in ESI are significantly influenced by the presence of co-occurring disorders.
• Findings underscore the economic impact of tic disorders and associated conditions in pediatric populations.