Introduction: Existing epidemiologic information on silicosis relies on mortality data.
Methods: We analyzed health insurance claims and enrollment information from 49 923 987 fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 from 1999 to 2014. Three different definitions were developed to identify silicosis cases and results are presented as ranges of values for the three definitions.
Results: Among FFS beneficiaries, 10 026-19 696 fit the silicosis case definitions (16-year prevalence: 20.1-39.5 per 100 000) with the highest prevalence among North American Natives (87.2-213.6 per 100 000) and those in New Mexico (83.9-203.4 per 100 000). The annual average prevalence had a significant (P < 0.05) 2-5% annual decline from 2005 to 2014. The average annual number of incident cases had a significant 3-16% annual decline from 2007 to 2014.
Conclusions: Silicosis is a prevalent disease among Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65, with variation across the country. Morbidity data from health insurance claims can provide a more complete picture of silicosis burden.
Keywords: Medicare; insurance; silicosis.
Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.