Medical Expenditure Differences Between Income Levels Among US Adults With Diabetes

Figure 1. Mean per person per year medical expenditures in US dollars, by income level among people with diabetes, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2017–2021. Income categories were defined based on federal poverty level (FPL), which incorporates both household income and size: poor income (<125% FPL), low income (125% to <200% FPL), middle income (200% to <400% FPL), and high income (≥400% FPL).

Figure 2. Decomposition results between income groups in total and by health service types, in US dollars, among adults with diabetes, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2017–2021. Each bar represents the total difference in expenditures between the respective income groups, with the label underneath indicating the specific comparison (eg, Outpatient: poor vs high). A positive bar segment means that the factor is associated with increase in the difference in medical expenditures between the income groups. Conversely, a negative bar segment indicates that the factor is associated with decrease in the difference in expenditures. The total bar height (or depth) represents the net difference in medical costs, accounting for both positive and negative contributions. The unexplained portion may include factors not accounted for by the selected variables, representing residual disparities beyond what the model can explain. Income categories were defined based on federal poverty level (FPL), which incorporates both household income and size: poor income (<125% FPL), low income (125% to <200% FPL), middle income (200% to <400% FPL), and high income (≥400% FPL). Abbreviation: Dual coverage, coverage with both Medicaid and Medicare.