Table 2.
Adjusted healthcare expenditures and resource utilization between matched adult (> = 18 years) respondents with and without an opioid prescription from the MEPS, 2008 to 2017
| Outcome | Total (weighted n = 63,233,310)* | Respondents with an opioid prescription (weighted n = 31,696,671)* | Respondents without an opioid prescription (weighted n = 31,536,639)* | P-value** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditures | ||||
| Total expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $11,817 (9592) | $16,542 (10,805) | $7067 (4683) | < 0.001 |
| Prescription expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $2681 (2481) | $3067 (2767) | $2293 (2084) | < 0.001 |
| Outpatient expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $1228 (995) | $1804 (1052) | $650 (449) | < 0.001 |
| Emergency department expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $476 (300) | $703 (253) | $249 (112) | < 0.001 |
| Inpatient expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $3630 (3374) | $5610 (3595) | $1640 (1384) | < 0.001 |
| Resources | ||||
| Number of prescriptions filled, mean (SD) | 24.3 (19.1) | 29.5 (21.7) | 19.0 (14.2) | < 0.001 |
| Number of office-based visits, mean (SD) | 10.2 (5.1) | 12.4 (5.4) | 8.1 (3.7) | < 0.001 |
| Number of emergency department visits, mean (SD) | 0.42 (0.29) | 0.59 (0.29) | 0.25 (0.15) | < 0.001 |
| Number of inpatient night stays, mean (SD) | 1.10 (1.20) | 1.61 (1.39) | 0.58 (0.65) | < 0.001 |
*Adjusted using a two-part model controlling for the following covariates: age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, year, region, poverty status, insurance status, education, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction, orthostatic hypertension, stroke, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis
**Margins command