Med Care. 2025 Jul 1;63(7):507-513. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000002159. Epub 2025 May 6.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Historically, US Veterans have reported higher chronic disease burden than non-Veterans. However, whether Veteran and Veterans Affairs (VA) coverage status continue to be associated with chronic disease burden or how these associations vary by age, especially among younger Veterans, is unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the number of chronic conditions among male Veterans with and without VA coverage, and male non-Veterans, overall and by age group.
DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Using 2018 National Health Interview Survey data, our sample included 2301 male Veterans and 9243 male non-Veterans.
MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was a number of chronic conditions, measured as a count (range 0-15) and categorically (0, 1, 2, 3+). We created a 3-category main independent variable (Veteran with VA coverage, Veteran without VA coverage, non-Veteran). Generalized linear regression models were used to estimate relationships between Veteran and VA coverage status and count of chronic conditions, overall and by age group (18-44, 45-64, 65+), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.
KEY RESULTS: Veterans with VA coverage, Veterans without VA coverage, and non-Veterans had an age-standardized mean of 1.44, 1.16, and 1.09 chronic conditions, respectively. In adjusted analyses, Veterans with VA coverage had 0.36 (95% CI: 0.25-0.46) more conditions and Veterans without VA coverage had 0.12 (95% CI: 0.04-0.21) more conditions compared with non-Veterans. In age-stratified analyses, Veterans with VA coverage aged 18-44 had 0.22 (95% CI: 0.06-0.38) more conditions; 45-64, 0.71 (95% CI: 0.41-0.99) more conditions; and 65+, 0.38 (95% CI: 0.18-0.57) more conditions compared with similar-aged non-Veterans.
CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with VA coverage had the greatest number of chronic conditions, including when stratified by age group.
PMID:40766989 | DOI:10.1097/MLR.0000000000002159
