Understanding the Influence of Single Payer Health Insurance on Socioeconomic Disparities in Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) Utilization: A Transnational Analysis

Bella Mehta, Kaylee Ho, J. Alex B. Gibbons, Vicki Ling, Susan Goodman, Michael Parks, Bheeshma Ravi, Fei Wang, Said Ibrahim, Peter Cram

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective:Access to care varies between countries. It is theorized that income-based disparities in access may be reduced in countries with universal health insurance relative to the United States, but data are currently limited. We hypothesized that income-based differences in total hip arthroplasty (THA) utilization and outcomes would be larger in the United States than in Canada.Methods:We retrospectively compared all patients undergoing THA from 2012 to 2018 in Pennsylvania, the United States, and Ontario, Canada. We compared age-standardized and sex-standardized per-capita THA utilization in the United States and Canada overall and across different income strata, where income strata were defined by neighborhood income quintile. We also examined income-based differences in rates of 1-year revision, 90-day mortality, and 90-day readmission.Results:Overall THA utilization per 10,000 people per year was higher across all income groups in Pennsylvania compared with Ontario (15.1 versus 8.8, P < 0.001 in lowest-income quintile; 21.4 versus 12.6, P < 0.001 in highest-income quintile). Income-based differences in utilization in the highest-income vs lowest-income quintile groups were greater in Ontario (43.2%) than Pennsylvania (41.7%). The adjusted odds for the lowest-income group compared with the highest-income group of 1-year revision were greater in Ontario compared with Pennsylvania (P = 0.03), and risk of 90-day mortality and 90-day readmission was similar between the regions.Conclusion:Income-based differences in THA utilization were more notable in Ontario than in Pennsylvania. In addition, patients in low-income communities in Ontario were at equal or greater risk relative to high-income community patients for adverse outcomes compared with patients in Pennsylvania. Income-based disparities in THA utilization and outcomes were smaller in the United States than in Canada, in contrast to what might be expected.Level

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)955-963
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Volume32
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 15 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

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