Study on Out-of-pocket Expenses for Eczema

In 2019, the research team at the National Eczema Association (NEA) conducted an online survey to learn more about the nature, level and impact/burden of out-of-pocket healthcare and related financial costs for the evaluation, care and treatment of eczema in the United States. Insights from this survey help support awareness of the broader financial impact from eczema management.

Based on the survey responses, the NEA research team found that 42% of Americans living with atopic dermatitis spend $1,000 or more out-of-pocket every year to manage their eczema. While the median annual estimated out-of-pocket expense is $600 across all survey respondents, annual out-of-pocket costs equal to or exceeding $5,000 were reported by 8.5% of participants.

Key findings from this research were published in:

• Archives of Dermatological Research, “Financial burden and impact of atopic dermatitis out-of-pocket healthcare expenses among black individuals in the United States”
• Dermatitis, “Financial burden of atopic dermatitis out-of-pocket health care expenses in the United States”
• Dermatitis, Impact and associations of atopic dermatitis out-of-pocket health care expenses in the United States
• Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, “Atopic dermatitis polypharmacy and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses”
• Skin Health and Disease, “The financial burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenses on caregivers of children with atopic dermatitis in the United States”

Learn more about this NEA study in the articles below:

• Eczema is Expensive: New Research by NEA Shines Light on the Out of Pocket Costs of Eczema
• The Worse it Gets, the More We Spend: New Findings Show Atopic Dermatitis Out of Pocket Costs Tied to Severity of the Disease
• New Study Shows: Black Americans Face Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs Related to Atopic Dermatitis
• The Cost of Care: Examining the Financial Burden of OOP Expenses for Caregivers of Children with AD

Download the out-of-pocket expenses one-pager