Insurance access in adults with congenital heart disease in the Affordable Care Act era

Health Insurance Status and Access to Healthcare Among Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: from the Congenital Heart Survey To Recognize Outcomes, Needs and Well-beinG (CH STRONG), 2016-2019

Having health insurance is associated with better access to healthcare and lower rates of comorbidity in the general population, but data are limited on insurance's impact on adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). The Congenital Heart Survey To Recognize Outcomes, Needs and well-beinG (CH STRONG) was conducted among ACHD in three locations from 2016 to 2019. We performed multivariable logistic regression to determine the associations between health insurance and both access to healthcare and presence of comorbidities. We also compared health insurance and comorbidities among ACHD to similarly-aged individuals in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) as a proxy for the general population. Of 1354 CH STRONG respondents, the majority were ≤ 30 years old (83.5%), and 8.8% were uninsured versus 17.7% in the BRFSS (p < 0.01). Compared to insured ACHD, uninsured were less likely to report regular medical care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1-0.3) and visited an emergency room more often (aOR 1.6, CI 1.0-2.3). Among all ACHD reporting disability, uninsured individuals less frequently received benefits (aOR 0.1, CI 0.0-0.3). Depression was common among uninsured ACHD (22.5%), but insured ACHD had lower rates of depression than insured in the BRFSS (13.3% vs. 22.5%, p < 0.01). In conclusion, rates of insurance were higher among ACHD compared to the general population. Nonetheless, uninsured ACHD inconsistently accessed healthcare and benefits. Further studies are needed to determine if insurance ameliorates the risk of morbidity as ACHD age.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Usage and Death by Neighborhood Poverty Among Individuals With Congenital Heart Defects, 4 US Surveillance Sites, 2011 to 2013

BACKGROUND

Socioeconomic factors may lead to a disproportionate impact on health care usage and death among individuals with congenital heart defects (CHD) by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors. How neighborhood poverty affects racial and ethnic disparities in health care usage and death among individuals with CHD across the life span is not well described.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Individuals aged 1 to 64 years, with at least 1 CHD-related International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code were identified from health care encounters between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013, from 4 US sites. Residence was classified into lower- or higher-poverty neighborhoods on the basis of zip code tabulation area from the 2014 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for site, sex, CHD anatomic severity, and insurance-evaluated associations between race and ethnicity, and health care usage and death, stratified by neighborhood poverty. Of 31 542 individuals, 22.2% were non-Hispanic Black and 17.0% Hispanic. In high-poverty neighborhoods, non-Hispanic Black (44.4%) and Hispanic (47.7%) individuals, respectively, were more likely to be hospitalized (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.2 [95% CI, 1.1-1.3]; and aOR, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.2-1.5]) and have emergency department visits (aOR, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.2-1.5] and aOR, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.5-2.0]) compared with non-Hispanic White individuals. In high poverty neighborhoods, non-Hispanic Black individuals with CHD had 1.7 times the odds of death compared with non-Hispanic White individuals in high-poverty neighborhoods (95% CI, 1.1-2.7). Racial and ethnic disparities in health care usage were similar in low-poverty neighborhoods, but disparities in death were attenuated (aOR for non-Hispanic Black, 1.2 [95% CI=0.9-1.7]).

CONCLUSIONS

Racial and ethnic disparities in health care usage were found among individuals with CHD in low- and high-poverty neighborhoods, but mortality disparities were larger in high-poverty neighborhoods. Understanding individual- and community-level social determinants of health, including access to health care, may help address racial and ethnic inequities in health care usage and death among individuals with CHD.

The Appraisal of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: Lesson from Comparison of Surgical Outcomes

The population of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is constantly growing. There seems to be a consensus that these patients are difficult to manage especially if compared to patients with acquired heart disease. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes and results of cardiac surgery in ACHD patients with a reference population of adults with acquired cardiac disease. Retrospective study of 5053 consecutive patients older than 18 years hospitalized for cardiac surgery during a 5-years period in our Institution. Two groups of patients were identified. Group I: 419 patients operated for congenital heart disease; Group II: 4634 patients operated for acquired heart disease. In each Group were identified low, medium, and high-risk patients, according to validated scores. Right ventricular outflow tract surgery was the most frequent procedure in Group I, while coronary artery by-pass grafting was the most common in Group II. Patients with ACHD were younger (37.8 vs. 67.7 years), with higher number of previous operations (32.1% vs. 6.9%), had longer post-ICU hospital stay (11 vs. 8 days) but had lower ICU stay (1 vs. 2 days), shorter assisted mechanical ventilation (12 vs. 14 h) and lower surgical mortality (1 vs. 3.7%) (all p < 0.001). No differences were found in term of post-operative complications (12.4 vs. 15%). The surgical treatment of ACHD patients can be done with excellent results and if compared with acquired cardiac disease patients they have better results with shorter ICU stay and lower mortality.

Healthcare Use Among Black and White Congenital Heart Disease Medicaid Enrollees

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth anomaly in the US. Research shows lost-to-follow-up trends and racial disparities in healthcare use. This study examines racial differences in healthcare use among Medicaid-covered children with CHD. Using 2010-2019 claims data from a pediatric Medicaid Accountable Care Organization, 960 Black and White children with complex CHD and ≥ 3 years of continuous Medicaid coverage were identified. Three cohorts were constructed (starting age: < 1-year-olds, 1-5-year-olds, 6-15-year-olds) and followed for 3 years. Multivariate analysis assessed annual healthcare use (cardiology, primary care, emergency department) by race, adjusting for patient and provider covariates. Overall, 51% of patients had an annual cardiology visit, and 54% had an annual primary care visit. Among the 1-5-year-old cohort, Black children were predicted to be 13% less likely to have an annual cardiology visit compared to their White counterparts (p = 0.001). Older Black children were predicted to be more likely to have a primary care visit compared to their White counterparts. Nearly half of Medicaid-enrolled children with complex CHD did not receive recommended cardiology care. Young Black children were less likely to receive an annual cardiac visit, while older Black children were more likely to receive primary care. While the percentage with an annual cardiac visit was low, the majority had seen a cardiologist within the 3-year window, suggesting these children are still receiving cardiology care, if less frequently than recommended. Opportunities exist for cardiology and primary care to collaborate to ensure patients receive timely recommended care.

Health Care Policy and Congenital Heart Disease: 2020 Focus on Our 2030 Future

The congenital heart care community faces a myriad of public health issues that act as barriers toward optimum patient outcomes. In this article, we attempt to define advocacy and policy initiatives meant to spotlight and potentially address these challenges. Issues are organized into the following 3 key facets of our community: patient population, health care delivery, and workforce. We discuss the social determinants of health and health care disparities that affect patients in the community that require the attention of policy makers. Furthermore, we highlight the many needs of the growing adults with congenital heart disease and those with comorbidities, highlighting concerns regarding the inequities in access to cardiac care and the need for multidisciplinary care. We also recognize the problems of transparency in outcomes reporting and the promising application of telehealth. Finally, we highlight the training of providers, measures of productivity, diversity in the workforce, and the importance of patient-family centered organizations in advocating for patients. Although all of these issues remain relevant to many subspecialties in medicine, this article attempts to illustrate the unique needs of this population and highlight ways in which to work together to address important opportunities for change in the cardiac care community and beyond. This article provides a framework for policy and advocacy efforts for the next decade.

Differences in perceptions of transition readiness between parents and teens with congenital heart disease: do parents and teens agree?

BACKGROUND

Amongst patients with CHD, the time of transition to adulthood is associated with lapses in care leading to significant morbidity. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in perceptions between parents and teens in regard to transition readiness.

METHODS

Responses were collected from 175 teen-parent pairs via the validated CHD Transition Readiness survey and an information request checklist. The survey was distributed via an electronic tablet at a routine clinic visit.

RESULTS

Parents reported a perceived knowledge gap of 29.2% (the percentage of survey items in which a parent believes their teen does not know), compared to teens self-reporting an average of 25.9% of survey items in which they feel deficient (p = 0.01). Agreement was lowest for long-term medical needs, physical activities allowed, insurance, and education. In regard to self-management behaviours, agreement between parent and teen was slight to moderate (weighted κ statistic = 0.18 to 0.51). For self-efficacy, agreement ranged from slight to fair (weighted κ = 0.16 to 0.28). Teens were more likely to request information than their parents (79% versus 65% requesting at least one item) particularly in regard to pregnancy/contraception and insurance.

CONCLUSION

Parents and teens differ in several key perceptions regarding knowledge, behaviours, and feelings related to the management of heart disease. Specifically, parents perceive a higher knowledge deficit, teens perceive higher self-efficacy, and parents and teens agree that self-management is low.

Disparities in insurance coverage among hospitalized adult congenital heart disease patients before and after the Affordable Care Act

BACKGROUND

Data are lacking regarding the insurance status of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). We investigated whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) impacted insurance status among hospitalized ACHD, identified associated sociodemographic factors, and compared coverage to adults with other chronic childhood conditions.

METHODS

Serial cross-sectional analysis of National Inpatient Sample hospitalizations from 2007 to 2016 was performed for patients 18-64 years old. ACHD were identified using ICD-9/10-CM codes and compared to patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and the general population. Age was dichotomized as 18-25 years (transition aged) or 26-64 years. Groups were compared by era (pre-ACA [January 2007-June 2010]; early-ACA [July 2010-December 2013], which eliminated pre-existing condition exclusions; and full-ACA [January 2014-December 2016]) using interrupted time series and multivariable Poisson regression analyses.

RESULTS

Overall, uninsured hospitalizations decreased from pre-ACA (12.0%) to full-ACA (8.5%). After full ACA implementation, ACHD had lower uninsured rates than the general hospitalized population (6.0 vs. 8.6%, p < .01), but higher rates than those with other chronic childhood diseases (SCD [4.5%]; CF [1.6%]). Across ACA eras, transition aged ACHD had higher uninsured rates than older patients (8.9 vs. 7.6%, p < .01), and Hispanic patients remained less insured than other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitalized ACHD were better insured than the general population but less insured than those with SCD or CF. Full ACA implementation was associated with improved insurance coverage for all groups, but disparities persisted for transition aged and Hispanic patients. Ongoing evaluation of the effects of insurance and health policy on ACHD remains critical to diminish health disparities.

Health Care Transition Perceptions Among Parents of Adolescents with Congenital Heart Defects in Georgia and New York

With increasing survival trends for children and adolescents with congenital heart defects (CHD), there is a growing need to focus on transition from pediatric to adult specialty cardiac care. To better understand parental perspectives on the transition process, a survey was distributed to 451 parents of adolescents with CHD who had recent contact with the healthcare system in Georgia (GA) and New York (NY). Among respondents, 90.7% reported excellent, very good or good health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for their adolescent. While the majority of parents (77.8%) had been told by a provider about their adolescent's need to transition to adult specialty cardiac care, most reported concerns about transitioning to adult care. Parents were most commonly concerned with replacing the strong relationship with pediatric providers (60.7%), locating an appropriate adult provider (48.7%), and accessing adult health insurance coverage (43.6%). These findings may offer insights into transition planning for adolescents with CHD.

Self-management Needs of Adults With Congenital Heart Disease

BACKGROUND

Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are an emerging adult heart disease subset, now outnumbering the pediatric population with CHD.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to gain understanding and knowledge of what adults with CHD perceive as important for self-management and describe these needs across demographic factors, developmental characteristics, lesion severity, and quality of life.

METHODS

We used a descriptive mixed-methods online survey merging 4 instruments: Adult CHD Self-management Experience Questionnaire; Adult CHD Demographic Questionnaire; Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition; and Stanford Quality of Life Visual Numeric. Participants with CHD 18 to 30 years of age with initial defect repair before 12 months of age were recruited through support from the Adult Congenital Heart Association, clinic adult CHD support groups, and newspaper advertising. Thematic analysis for short-answer questions, descriptive analysis for demographic data and the visual numeric, and intrument-specific scoring assistant software for the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System were used.

RESULTS

We received 22 responses from 13 women and 9 men. These individuals represented 15 different heart defect diagnoses, mostly of moderate or complex lesion severity. Most had postsecondary education and were employed. Four prominent themes emerged related to self-management: desire for connectivity-psychological support; a plan for the future-education about health and life expectations; coping needs-skills for mental stress; and access to care-navigation of healthcare systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Future longitudinal research and replication studies with larger samples are needed. Educational materials and targeted interventions that promote self-management benefit the aging adult with CHD population.

A model for geographic and sociodemographic access to care disparities for adults with congenital heart disease

BACKGROUND

Follow-up at a regional adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) center is recommended for all ACHD patients at least once per the 2018 ACC/AHA guidelines. Other specialties have demonstrated poorer follow-up and outcomes correlating with increased distance from health care providers, but driving time to regional ACHD centers has not been examined in the US population.

OBJECTIVE

To identify and characterize potential disparities in access to ACHD care in the US based on drive time to ACHD centers and compounding sociodemographic factors.

METHODS

Mid- to high-volume ACHD centers with ≥500 outpatient ACHD visits and ≥20 ACHD surgeries annually were included based on self-reported, public data. Geographic Information System mapping was used to delineate drive times to ACHD centers. Sociodemographic data from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey (US Census) and the Environmental Systems Research Institute were analyzed based on drive time to nearest ACHD center. Previously established CHD prevalence estimates were used to estimate the similarly located US ACHD population.

RESULTS

Nearly half of the continental US population (45.1%) lives >1 hour drive to an ACHD center. Overall, 39.7% live 1-4 hours away, 3.4% live 4-6 hours away, and 2.0% live >6 hours away. Hispanics were disproportionately likely to live a >6 hour drive to a center (p < .001). Compared to people with <1 hour drive, those living >6 hours away have higher proportions of uninsured adults (29% vs. 18%; p < .001), households below the federal poverty level (19% vs. 13%; p < .001), and adults with less than college education (18% vs. 12%; p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

We estimate that ~45% of the continental US population lives >1 hour to an ACHD center, with 5.4% living >4 hours away. Compounding barriers exist for Hispanic, uninsured, lower socioeconomic status, and less-educated patients. These results may help drive future policy changes to improve access to ACHD care.