Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Functional Hearing Status

Heng Yu H. Lin; Amber Willink; Anna M. Jilla; Heather M. Weinreich; Esther S. Oh; Mariah Robertson; Hannah V. Ward; Nicholas S. Reed

doi:10.1177/08982643211011799

Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Functional Hearing Status

Heng Yu H. Lin, Amber Willink, Anna M. Jilla, Heather M. Weinreich, Esther S. Oh, Mariah Robertson, Hannah V. Ward, Nicholas S. Reed

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Objective: Hearing loss is associated with higher health expenditures and poor healthcare utilization. This study aims to build on these findings by characterizing the association between hearing status and healthcare-seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: Cross-sectional log-binominal regression was used to assess the association between self-report hearing and healthcare-seeking behaviors (avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status) using the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (N = 12,140). Results: Beneficiaries with trouble hearing had significantly higher risks of avoiding and delaying health care compared to those without trouble hearing. Conversely, trouble hearing was not associated with concern for health status or sharing health status. Discussion: These findings may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying causes and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	764-771
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of Aging and Health
Volume	33
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643211011799
State	Published - Oct 2021

Keywords

Medicare
health services
healthcare help-seeking
hearing loss

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health(social science)
Sociology and Political Science
Life-span and Life-course Studies

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10.1177/08982643211011799

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title = "Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Functional Hearing Status",

abstract = "Objective: Hearing loss is associated with higher health expenditures and poor healthcare utilization. This study aims to build on these findings by characterizing the association between hearing status and healthcare-seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: Cross-sectional log-binominal regression was used to assess the association between self-report hearing and healthcare-seeking behaviors (avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status) using the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (N = 12,140). Results: Beneficiaries with trouble hearing had significantly higher risks of avoiding and delaying health care compared to those without trouble hearing. Conversely, trouble hearing was not associated with concern for health status or sharing health status. Discussion: These findings may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying causes and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.",

keywords = "Medicare, health services, healthcare help-seeking, hearing loss",

author = "Lin, {Heng Yu H.} and Amber Willink and Jilla, {Anna M.} and Weinreich, {Heather M.} and Oh, {Esther S.} and Mariah Robertson and Ward, {Hannah V.} and Reed, {Nicholas S.}",

note = "Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported in part by a National Institutes of Health grant (K23AG065443; NSR). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2021.",

year = "2021",

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doi = "10.1177/08982643211011799",

language = "English (US)",

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T1 - Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Functional Hearing Status

AU - Lin, Heng Yu H.

AU - Willink, Amber

AU - Jilla, Anna M.

AU - Weinreich, Heather M.

AU - Oh, Esther S.

AU - Robertson, Mariah

AU - Ward, Hannah V.

AU - Reed, Nicholas S.

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported in part by a National Institutes of Health grant (K23AG065443; NSR). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - Objective: Hearing loss is associated with higher health expenditures and poor healthcare utilization. This study aims to build on these findings by characterizing the association between hearing status and healthcare-seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: Cross-sectional log-binominal regression was used to assess the association between self-report hearing and healthcare-seeking behaviors (avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status) using the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (N = 12,140). Results: Beneficiaries with trouble hearing had significantly higher risks of avoiding and delaying health care compared to those without trouble hearing. Conversely, trouble hearing was not associated with concern for health status or sharing health status. Discussion: These findings may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying causes and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.

AB - Objective: Hearing loss is associated with higher health expenditures and poor healthcare utilization. This study aims to build on these findings by characterizing the association between hearing status and healthcare-seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: Cross-sectional log-binominal regression was used to assess the association between self-report hearing and healthcare-seeking behaviors (avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status) using the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (N = 12,140). Results: Beneficiaries with trouble hearing had significantly higher risks of avoiding and delaying health care compared to those without trouble hearing. Conversely, trouble hearing was not associated with concern for health status or sharing health status. Discussion: These findings may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying causes and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.

KW - Medicare

KW - health services

KW - healthcare help-seeking

KW - hearing loss

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Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries by Functional Hearing Status

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Keywords

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