Researchers find increase in coronary artery disease expenses in West Michigan

Grand Valley researchers said there has been a significant increase in per-capita expenditures for coronary artery disease in West Michigan over the past few years.

Economics faculty members Kevin Callison and Leslie Muller, from the Seidman College of Business, presented the eighth annual Health Check report during the West Michigan Health Care Economic Forecast January 13 at the Eberhard Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The report details health-related trends and issues in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area of Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Allegan counties (KOMA).

Callison said from 2014 to 2015, per-capita expenditures for CAD increased by 22 percent in West Michigan, compared to less than 20 percent in the metro Detroit area. He added that of all the chronic medical conditions reported in the Health Check, CAD is the only condition in which West Michigan surpasses Detroit. The average expense for a privately insured person diagnosed with CAD in West Michigan is $25,895, compared to $23,474 for the same diagnosis in Detroit.

He said possible explanations for the increase include differences in patient health, intensity of treatment, and prices for health care services.

For the second consecutive year, researchers surveyed West Michigan residents about health insurance coverage. Muller said the uninsured rate dropped from 9 percent in 2015 to 5 percent in the 2016 survey. She added that 40 percent of people who became insured last year did so through employer coverage, and 21 percent enrolled in Medicaid. In last year's survey, 25 percent of the previously uninsured obtained coverage through an employer, which is much less than this year. 

Muller said there are two possible reasons for the increase. "The individual could have obtained employment that offered insurance, or the company he/she works for could have started to offer a plan," she said. "The West Michigan unemployment rate fell by approximately 1 percentage point during that period, and there is also evidence that firms had increased their health insurance offerings. Without further data, we cannot tell which factor, or a combination of both, contributed to this change."

She added that access to care continues to improve, especially for Medicaid enrollees, with 90 percent seeing either no change or improved access to care. 

Researchers also studied demographic changes, health issues and trends and reported the following:

• The proportion of people over age 65 has eclipsed the proportion of people who are between ages 35-44.

• The rate of obesity continues to increase in KOMA, with one-third of the population considered obese.

• Fewer people are smoking; 18 percent in KOMA are cigarette smokers.

The entire report is available online, click here. Data was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, and Priority Health.

Jean Nagelkerk, vice provost for Health at Grand Valley, said as health-related challenges continue in the region, collaboration among organizations will be key to developing policies that support healthy communities. 

"West Michigan has a strong tradition of collaborative community engagement to develop strategies for improvement of health care for our community, while also conserving valuable health care resources," Nagelkerk said.