TABLE III.
Characteristics of biologic treatment visits by payer, 2019
| Percentage (95% CI) | Public insurance (92,759 treatment visits) | Private insurance (244,280 treatment visits) |
|---|---|---|
| Age category | ||
| 6–14 | 11.4 (6.3–32.2) | 1.9 (1.1–2.8) |
| 15–24 | 15.6 (8.7–44) | 37.1 (20.7–55.6) |
| 25–44 | 17.1 (9.5–48.2) | 48.9 (27.3–73.3) |
| 45–64 | 30.0 (16.7–84.6) | 10.0 (5.6–15.0) |
| ≥65 | 25.8 (14.3–72.8) | 2.1 (1.2–3.1) |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 43.5 (27.2–68.6) | 32.5 (29.8–62.3) |
| Female | 56.5 (31.4–72.8) | 67.5 (37.7–70.2) |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| White | 80.2 (44.5–100.0) | 60.6 (33.9–90.8) |
| Black | 11.6 (6.4–32.7) | 17.7 (9.9–26.5) |
| Hispanic | 7.1 (5.1–20.0) | 12.7 (7.1–19.0) |
| Asian/other race | 0.8 (0.4–2.3) | 8.9 (5.0–13.3) |
| Concomitant medications* | ||
| ICS | 1.1 (0.6–3.1) | 3.0 (1.7–4.5) |
| ICS/LABA | 43.6 (24.2–100.0) | 35.6 (19.9–53.4) |
| LAMA | 7.8 (4.3–22.0) | 4.7 (2.6–7.0) |
| LTRA | 17.5 (9.7–49.4) | 15.3 (8.6–23.0) |
| Oral steroids | 1.9 (1.1–5.4) | 3.3 (1.8–4.9) |
| Physician specialty | ||
| Allergy/immunology | 33.5 (18.6–94.5) | 52.4 (29.3–78.6) |
| Pulmonology | 50.9 (28.3–100.0) | 30.1 (16.8–45.1) |
| Family practice/general internal medicine | 15.6 (8.7–44.0) | 17.5 (9.8–26.2) |
| Biologic use per 1000 asthma-related physician visits | ||
| Crude | 16.3 (13.3–18.4) | 28.3 (23.8–31.5) |
| Age-standardized | 22.2 (18.2–24.3) | 21.0 (16.4–24.5) |
| Sex-standardized | 22.7 (18.5–25.6) | 24.0 (20.2–27.2) |
| Race-standardized | 17.0 (13.8–19.2) | 29.2 (24.7–32.4) |
| Age-, sex-, race-standardized | 20.7 (16.8–23.0) | 24.6 (22.5–28.0) |
CI, Confidence interval; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; LABA, long-acting β-agonist; LAMA, long-acting muscarinic agent; LTRA, leukotriene receptor antagonist.
*
These do not add up to 100% because some patients were not receiving any of these medications.