The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data
Introduction: Despite rising rates of depression and diabetes, assessments of depression’s burden on diabetes management and its economic burden remain limited. In this study, we evaluate the burden of depression on diabetes management and quantify the financial implications of comorbid depression a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251336629 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850190250593222656 |
|---|---|
| author | SangNam Ahn Gang Han McKenzie Beck Wan-Ling Hsu Samuel D. Towne Matthew Lee Smith Marcia G. Ory |
| author_facet | SangNam Ahn Gang Han McKenzie Beck Wan-Ling Hsu Samuel D. Towne Matthew Lee Smith Marcia G. Ory |
| author_sort | SangNam Ahn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Despite rising rates of depression and diabetes, assessments of depression’s burden on diabetes management and its economic burden remain limited. In this study, we evaluate the burden of depression on diabetes management and quantify the financial implications of comorbid depression and diabetes. Methods: We performed propensity score matching on Texas commercial claims data (2016-2019) to match type 2 diabetes patients with depression (n = 613) to those without (n = 583). Depression flagged in 2016/2017 indicated initial depression, and an A1C level of ≥8% in 2018/2019 indicated follow-up uncontrolled diabetes. Healthcare costs included total, diabetes-related, outpatient, and inpatient costs incurred during 2018/2019. Results: A depression flag in the initial period was linked to a 2.7 percentage point increase ( P = .031) in the probability of having an A1C level of ≥8% in the follow-up, compared to individuals without a depression flag. Having both a depression flag and uncontrolled A1C in the initial period was associated with $2,037 higher total medical costs ( P = .004), $494 higher diabetes-related costs ( P = .020), and $336 higher outpatient costs ( P = .008) in the follow-up, compared to the respective averages of $6,900, $474, and $583 for individuals without a depression flag or uncontrolled A1C. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the detrimental effect of depression on uncontrolled diabetes and the subsequent increase in healthcare costs. Further research is warranted to determine the effectiveness of proactive treatments for depression in managing diabetes, improving glycemic control, and reducing healthcare costs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9c52fd37acc045a4aceb357eba0eac0a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-9c52fd37acc045a4aceb357eba0eac0a2025-08-20T02:15:20ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272025-05-011610.1177/21501319251336629The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance DataSangNam Ahn0Gang Han1McKenzie Beck2Wan-Ling Hsu3Samuel D. Towne4Matthew Lee Smith5Marcia G. Ory6Texas A&M University School of Public Health Center for Health and Aging, College Station, TX, USATexas A&M University School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College Station, TX, USASaint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice Department of Health Policy and Management, Saint Louis, MO, USASaint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice Department of Health Policy and Management, Saint Louis, MO, USATexas A&M University School of Public Health Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College Station, TX, USATexas A&M University School of Public Health Department of Health Behavior, College Station, TX, USATexas A&M University School of Public Health Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College Station, TX, USAIntroduction: Despite rising rates of depression and diabetes, assessments of depression’s burden on diabetes management and its economic burden remain limited. In this study, we evaluate the burden of depression on diabetes management and quantify the financial implications of comorbid depression and diabetes. Methods: We performed propensity score matching on Texas commercial claims data (2016-2019) to match type 2 diabetes patients with depression (n = 613) to those without (n = 583). Depression flagged in 2016/2017 indicated initial depression, and an A1C level of ≥8% in 2018/2019 indicated follow-up uncontrolled diabetes. Healthcare costs included total, diabetes-related, outpatient, and inpatient costs incurred during 2018/2019. Results: A depression flag in the initial period was linked to a 2.7 percentage point increase ( P = .031) in the probability of having an A1C level of ≥8% in the follow-up, compared to individuals without a depression flag. Having both a depression flag and uncontrolled A1C in the initial period was associated with $2,037 higher total medical costs ( P = .004), $494 higher diabetes-related costs ( P = .020), and $336 higher outpatient costs ( P = .008) in the follow-up, compared to the respective averages of $6,900, $474, and $583 for individuals without a depression flag or uncontrolled A1C. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the detrimental effect of depression on uncontrolled diabetes and the subsequent increase in healthcare costs. Further research is warranted to determine the effectiveness of proactive treatments for depression in managing diabetes, improving glycemic control, and reducing healthcare costs.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251336629 |
| spellingShingle | SangNam Ahn Gang Han McKenzie Beck Wan-Ling Hsu Samuel D. Towne Matthew Lee Smith Marcia G. Ory The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data |
| title_full | The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data |
| title_fullStr | The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data |
| title_short | The Burden of Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes: An Empirical Study Using Commercial Insurance Data |
| title_sort | burden of comorbid depression and type 2 diabetes an empirical study using commercial insurance data |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251336629 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sangnamahn theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT ganghan theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT mckenziebeck theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT wanlinghsu theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT samueldtowne theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT matthewleesmith theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT marciagory theburdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT sangnamahn burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT ganghan burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT mckenziebeck burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT wanlinghsu burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT samueldtowne burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT matthewleesmith burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata AT marciagory burdenofcomorbiddepressionandtype2diabetesanempiricalstudyusingcommercialinsurancedata |