Health insurance status and its determinants among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Even in a country with a tax-based healthcare financing system, health insurance can play an important role, especially in the management of chronic diseases with high disease and economic burden such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The insurance coverage among T2DM patients in Malaysia is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the insurance status of T2DM patients in public and private healthcare facilities in Malaysia, and the association between this status and patients' sociodemographic and economic factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study among T2DM patients seeking inpatient or outpatient treatment at a public tertiary hospital (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz) and a private tertiary hospital (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Specialist Centre) in Kuala Lumpur between August 2019 and March 2020. Patients were identified via convenience sampling using a self-administered questionnaire. Data collection focused on identifying insurance status as the dependent factor while the independent factors were the patients' sociodemographic characteristics and economic factors. RESULTS: Of 400 T2DM patients, 313 responded (response rate, 78.3%) and 76.0% were uninsured. About 69.6% of the respondents had low monthly incomes of

The Economic Burden and Determinant Factors of Parents/Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Malaysia: A Mixed Methods Study.

The economic burden is a major concern for parents/caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study used the sequential explanatory mixed-method approach to explorethe economic burden on parents/caregivers with a CP child in Malaysia and the factors associated with the economic burden. The study period spanned April 2020 and December 2020. A total of 106 questionnaire respondents were selected for the quantitative part, and 15 were interviewed to obtain qualitative input. A retrospective costing analysis was conducted based on the cost data obtained from the questionnaire. The majority of the children were GrossMotor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level 5 (71%), quadriplegic (63%), and aged >4 years (90%). The estimated annual median total economic burden on the parents/caregivers per child in 2020 was RM52,540.00 (~USD12,515.03), with indirect cost being the greatest cost (RM28,800.00, ~USD6860.16), followed by developmental cost (RM16,200.00, ~USD3858.84), direct healthcare cost (RM4540.00, ~USD1081.43) and direct non-healthcare cost (RM3000.00, ~USD714.60). The annual household income was identified as a significant determinant factor (p=0.019, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.40) of the economic burden. The participants' responses during the in-depth interview in the qualitative part of the study supported the premise that socioeconomic factors play a substantial role in determining the total economic burden. Our findings may aid local policymakers when planning the greater provision of support to the affected families in the future, especially for the parents/caregivers of children with CP, who are facing socioeconomic challenges.

Economic burden of managing Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Analysis from a Teaching Hospital in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease that consumes a large amount of health-care resources. It is essential to estimate the cost of managing T2DM to the society, especially in developing countries. Economic studies of T2DM as a primary diagnosis would assist efficient health-care resource allocation for disease management. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to measure the economic burden of T2DM as the primary diagnosis for hospitalization from provider's perspective. METHODS: A retrospective prevalence-based costing study was conducted in a teaching hospital. Financial administrative data and inpatient medical records of patients with primary diagnosis (International Classification Disease-10 coding) E11 in the year 2013 were included in costing analysis. Average cost per episode of care and average cost per outpatient visit were calculated using gross direct costing allocation approach. RESULTS: Total admissions for T2DM as primary diagnosis in 2013 were 217 with total outpatient visits of 3214. Average cost per episode of care was RM 901.51 (US$ 286.20) and the average cost per outpatient visit was RM 641.02 (US$ 203.50) from provider's perspective. The annual economic burden of T2DM for hospitalized patients was RM 195,627.67 (US$ 62,104) and RM 2,061,520.32 (US$ 654,450) for those being treated in the outpatient setting. CONCLUSIONS: Economic burden to provide T2DM care was higher in the outpatient setting due to the higher utilization of the health-care service in this setting. Thus, more focus toward improving T2DM outpatient service could mitigate further increase in health-care cost from this chronic disease.