Diabetes to account for 10 percent of health care spending by 2020
by
Olga Deshchenko, DOTmed News Reporter | November 23, 2010
Diabetes and prediabetes will account for an estimated 10 percent of total health care spending by the end of the decade, an annual cost of nearly $500 billion, according to a new analysis released Tuesday.
If today's diabetes trends continue, an estimated 52 percent of Americans could have diabetes by 2020 and cost the health care system $3.35 trillion over the next 10 years, according to a report by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Modernization. The Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth is one of the country's largest health insurers.
In 2009, the annual health care costs for a person diagnosed with diabetes averaged around $11,700. For a person experiencing diabetes-related complications, the cost soared to $20,700. The average cost for a non-diabetic was about $4,400, according to data collected from 10 million UnitedHealthcare members.
"Our new research shows there is a diabetes time bomb ticking in America, but fortunately there are practical steps that can be taken now to defuse it," said Simon Stevens, the insurer's executive VP and chairman of the center, in prepared remarks.
The report also presented a number of solutions to slow the rise of diabetes. According to the analysis, public health initiatives and wellness programs to counter obesity can reduce the number of people in risk of developing diabetes by 10 million. Community-based intervention programs and initiatives to improve medical compliance can also contribute to slowing the diabetes growth rate.
"What is now needed is concerted, national, multi-stakeholder action. Making a major impact on the prediabetes and diabetes epidemic will require health plans to engage consumers in new ways, while working to scale nationally some of the most promising preventive care models. Done right, the human and economic benefits for the nation could be substantial," said Stevens.
According to the report, about 27 million Americans are affected by diabetes. It is estimated that another 67 million people have prediabetes.
