Medical Costs, Health Care Utilization, and Productivity Losses Associated With Hypertension by COVID-19 Among US Commercial Enrollees

BackgroundHypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and renal diseases, significantly contributing to morbidity and mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened concerns about the impact of hypertension on severe COVID-19 outcomes. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the 2021 MarketScan Commercial and Health and Productivity Management databases. The study included adults aged 18-64 with continuous employer-sponsored private insurance, excluding those with pregnancy or capitated plans. We compared excess total medical costs, healthcare utilization (including the number of emergency department visits, inpatient admissions, outpatient visits, and outpatient prescription drugs), and productivity losses and related costs due to sick absences, short-term disability (STD), and long-term disability (LTD) between individuals with and without hypertension, further stratified by COVID-19 diagnosis. Multivariate regression models adjusted for demographics and comorbidities were used to estimate the differences in outcomes. ResultsAmong 1,612,398 adults aged 18-64 years, 13% had hypertension in 2021. Those with hypertension were older, were less likely to be female or live in urban areas, and exhibited a higher prevalence of comorbidities. The total excess medical costs associated with hypertension were $8723 per patient (95% CI, $8352-$9093), which was significantly higher by $6117 (95% CI, $4780-$7453) among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Persons with hypertension had higher health care utilization, including a higher number of ED visits (0.21 per patient; 95% CI, 0.21-0.22), inpatient admissions (0.11; 95% CI, 0.10-0.12), outpatient visits (5.42; 95% CI, 5.36-5.49), and outpatient prescription drugs (10.85; 95% CI, 10.75-10.94). Moreover, they experienced a greater number of sick absences (1.22 days; 95% CI, 1.07-1.36) and STD occurrences (3.68 days; 95% CI, 3.38-3.98) per patient compared to those without hypertension. These trends were further exacerbated among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. ConclusionsHypertension markedly increases medical costs, healthcare utilization, and productivity losses, which are further exacerbated by COVID-19. These findings highlight the substantial economic burden of managing hypertension in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and underscore the importance of targeted interventions.