Association Between Health Insurance Type and Adverse Outcomes for Children and Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes and Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Health insurance coverage type differs significantly by socioeconomic status and racial group in the United States. The aim of this study was to determine whether publicly insured children and young adults with type 1 diabetes were more likely to experience adverse outcomes compared with privately insured patients with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections.
Methods: Data from 619 patients with previously established type 1 diabetes who were <24 years of age with acute COVID-19 infections were analyzed from the T1D Exchange COVID-19 surveillance registry. Data for the registry was collected from 52 endocrinology clinics across the United States using an online survey tool. Each site completed the survey using electronic health record data between April 2020 and December 2021.
Results: Of the 619 patients included in this study, 257 had public insurance and 362 had private insurance. Of the 257 publicly insured patients with COVID-19, 57 reported severe adverse outcomes (22%), defined as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or severe hypoglycemia. In comparison, there were 25 reported adverse outcomes (7%) among the 362 privately insured patients.
Conclusion: Our data reveal high rates of hospitalization and DKA among publicly insured racial/ethnic minority children and young adults with type 1 diabetes and COVID-19.
Competing Interests: O.E. is the principal investigator for research projects funded through his institution by Dexcom, Eli Lilly, and Medtronic; he is also a member of the Medtronic Diabetes Health Inequity Advisory Board. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
(© 2023 by the American Diabetes Association.)