TABLE 1.
Baseline Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Exchange and Nonexchange Populations
| Characteristics | Exchange Plans n = 931,384 | Nonexchange Plans n = 2,682,855 | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean, years (SD) | 45.0 (13.5) | 42.7 (14.1) | < 0.001 |
| Age category, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||
| 18-44 | 411,397 (44.2) | 1,405,059 (52.4) | |
| 45-64 | 510,668 (54.8) | 1,194,535 (44.5) | |
| ≥65 | 9,319 (1.0) | 83,261 (3.1) | |
| Gender, n (%) | |||
| Female | 490,649 (52.7) | 1,315,442 (49.0) | < 0.001 |
| Elixhauser comorbidity score, mean (SD) | 0.57 (1.1) | 0.54 (1.1) | < 0.001 |
| Elixhauser comorbidity score, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 647,288 (69.5) | 1,880,309 (70.1) | |
| 1-3 | 257,677 (27.7) | 733,876 (27.4) | |
| ≥4 | 26,419 (2.8) | 68,670 (2.6) | |
| Distinct GPI-8 medication count, mean (SD) | 2.3 (3.2) | 2.5 (3.2) | < 0.001 |
| Chronic inflammatory conditions, n (%) | 13,157 (1.41) | 38,043 (1.42) | 0.705 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 4,436 (0.48) | 12,059 (0.45) | 0.001 |
| Ankylosing spondylitis | 399 (0.04) | 1,240 (0.05) | 0.187 |
| Crohn’s disease | 1,849 (0.20) | 5,797 (0.22) | 0.002 |
| Ulcerative colitis | 2,218 (0.24) | 5,867 (0.22) | 0.001 |
| Psoriatic arthritis | 1,006 (0.11) | 3,107 (0.12) | 0.055 |
| Psoriasis | 4,343 (0.47) | 13,335 (0.50) | < 0.001 |
| Previous use of nonspecialty drugs for CIDs, n (%) | 170,394 (18.3) | 546,983 (20.4) | < 0.001 |
| Outpatient visits per 1,000 enrollees, mean (SD) | 4.8 (8.9) | 5.2 (9.1) | < 0.001 |
| Out-of-pocket patient cost, mean (SD), $ | 527 (1,167.3) | 524 (1,109.6) | 0.013 |
| Total health care spending, mean (SD), $ | 2,792 (15,330.8) | 2,783 (13,901.8) | 0.633 |
CID = chronic inflammatory disease; GPI = Generic Product Identifier; SD = standard deviation.