{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T22:03:39Z","timestamp":1791497019557,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["INQUIRY"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Long COVID increases healthcare utilization, yet differences in healthcare spending patterns between individuals with and without long COVID remain poorly characterized, especially at the national level. To evaluate differences in healthcare expenditures among U.S. adults with and without long COVID using nationally representative data. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2022 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), including 16\u2009762 unweighted adults (weighted population: 239\u2009915\u2009159). Healthcare spending outcomes included total expenditures and specific categories including office-based care, outpatient services, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, home healthcare, and prescription medications. A survey-weighted generalized linear model (GLM) with a log link and gamma distribution was used to estimate adjusted differences in expenditures between groups. Individuals with long COVID had significantly higher total healthcare expenditures (mean $11\u2009567; SD $25\u2009334) compared to those without long COVID ($7448; SD $21\u2009734,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u2009.01). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, insurance status, chronic conditions, and other potential confounders, individuals with long COVID incurred 40% higher total expenditures (\u03b2\u2009=\u20091.40,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009.01). Expenditures were significantly elevated for office-based visits (35% higher; \u03b2\u2009=\u20091.35,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u2009.02) and outpatient services (118% higher; \u03b2\u2009=\u20092.18,\n                    <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u2009.01). No significant differences were found in emergency room, hospital admissions, or dental care expenditures. Long COVID imposes a substantial financial burden on individuals and healthcare systems, primarily through increased outpatient and office-based service utilization. Understanding these spending patterns can help inform policy decisions, optimize healthcare resource allocation, and guide targeted interventions to manage long COVID more effectively.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00469580251410890","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,3]],"date-time":"2026-01-03T10:21:12Z","timestamp":1767435672000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Comparison of Healthcare Expenditures Among Individuals With and Without Long COVID in the United States"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"63","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3282-1922","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emeka Elvis","family":"Duru","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Godwin","family":"Okoye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9861-5534","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanghoon","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hannam University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Weir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8147-1159","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jaewhan","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long COVID basics. 2025 Accessed May 14 2025. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/covid\/long-term-effects\/index.html?"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/01410768211032850"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1003773"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical overview of long COVID. 2024. Accessed May 14 2025. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/covid\/hcp\/clinical-overview\/?CDC_AAref_Val=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/clinical-care\/post-covid-conditions.html"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.m1091"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n1648"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2174\/1570162X18666200712175535"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMc2008597"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jns.2020.116969"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamacardio.2020.3557"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30566-3"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2023.55387"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2022.12.002"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-024-03477-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dsx.2021.04.007"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2021.101019"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.898254"},{"issue":"7","key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","article-title":"Estimating the economic burden of long-Covid: the additive cost of healthcare utilisation among COVID-19 recoverees in Israel","volume":"8","author":"Sagy YW","year":"2023","unstructured":"Sagy YW, Feldhamer I, Brammli-Greenberg S, Lavie G. Estimating the economic burden of long-Covid: the additive cost of healthcare utilisation among COVID-19 recoverees in Israel. BMJ Glob Health. 2023;8(7):e012588.","journal-title":"BMJ Glob Health"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5888\/pcd20.220292"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2022-063493"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","unstructured":"Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. MEPS HC 243 2022 full year consolidated data file. 2024. Accessed May 01 2025. https:\/\/meps.ahrq.gov\/data_stats\/download_data\/pufs\/h243\/h243doc.shtml"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/covid4110120"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_2","unstructured":"Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Concentration of health expenditures in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population 2014. 2024. Accessed May 01 2025. https:\/\/meps.ahrq.gov\/data_files\/publications\/st497\/stat497.shtml#"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2021.9937"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_26_2","unstructured":"Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. National Health Expenditures 2022 highlights. 2024. 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