The 10 most expensive medical conditions in the United States cost about $500 billion to treat in 2005, says the latest News and Numbers summary from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Those costs include money paid for visits to doctors’ offices, clinics and emergency departments, hospital stays, home health care and prescription medicines.
The data for this summary was taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which looks at health services used by Americans, including frequency, cost and payment methods.
Estimated 2005 spending for the 10 conditions was:
Heart conditions—$76 billion
Trauma disorders—$72 billion
Cancer—$70 billion
Mental disorders, including depression—$56 billion
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—$54 billion
High blood pressure—$42 billion
Type-2 diabetes—$34 billion
Osteoarthritis and other joint diseases—$34 billion
Back problems—$32 billion
Normal childbirth—$32 billion
This information may be of interest to Franchise Owners and CAREGivers, as many of these conditions affect seniors. To access this information online, just click on or visit http://www.ahrq.gov/news/nn/nn012308.htm.
