The
total costs of diagnosed diabetes have risen to $245 billion in 2012 from $174
billion in 2007, when the cost was last examined, says the American Diabetes Association.
This figure represents a 41% increase over a 5-year period.
The
study, Economic Costs of Diabetes in the US in 2012, includes direct medical costs of $176 billion, which
reflects costs for hospital and emergency care, office visits, and medications;
and indirect medical costs totaling $69 billion. Indirect costs include
absenteeism, reduced productivity, unemployment caused by diabetes-related
disability, and lost productivity due to early mortality.
In addition, the study found that:
- Medical
expenditures for people with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than for those
without diabetes.
- The
primary driver of increased costs is the increasing prevalence of diabetes
in the US population.
- Despite
the introduction of new classes of medication for the treatment of
diabetes, antidiabetic agents and diabetes supplies continue to account
for only 12% of medical expenditures in both 2007 and 2012.
The research also examined costs along gender, racial and
ethnic lines, and included state-by-state data. Key findings include:
- Most
of the cost for diabetes care in the US, 62.4%, is provided by government
insurance. The rest is paid for by private insurance (34.4%) or by the
uninsured (3.2%).
- Total
per-capita health expenditures are higher among women than men ($8,331 vs
$7,458). Total per-capita health care expenditures are lower among
Hispanics ($5,930) and higher among non-Hispanic blacks ($9,540) than
among non-Hispanic whites ($8,101).
- The
per-capita cost of medical care attributed to diabetes was $6,649 in 2007
and $7,900 in 2012, a 19% increase.
- Among
states, California has the largest population with diabetes and thus the
highest costs, at $27.6 billion. Although Florida's total population
is fourth among states behind California, Texas, and New York, it is
second in costs at $18.9 billion.
The
study will be published in the upcoming April issue of Diabetes Care.