Cost Of Treating Diabetes Surges, US

November 20, 2006 – 10:30 am | posted in Diabetes

The cost of caring for U.S. adults with diabetes rose sharply between 1996 and 2003, a period in which the number of patients soared from 9.9 million to 13.7 million and the average annual inflation-adjusted treatment costs rose from $1,299 to $1,714, according to reports released recently by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The rising costs of prescription drugs accounted for much of the cost increase. An adult diabetic’s average annual spending for prescription medicines jumped nearly 86 percent during the time period, from $476 to $883. Patients aged 45 to 64, for whom drug costs doubled, were the age group most dramatically affected.

The federal report also found:

Overall, hospitals spent $58 billion in 2004 on the 6 million stays of patients diagnosed with diabetes. That’s 20 percent of the total amount spent by hospitals on the 38.6 million patient stays that year.
Diabetes patients tended to be hospitalized longer than other patients. Uninsured diabetes patients with less access to care were more likely to be admitted principally to have their diabetes treated than insured patients.
The number of foot or lower leg amputations per 1,000 hospital stays of diabetes patients was twice as high for the uninsured and more than two times higher for men than for women.
Overall care for patients with diabetes — including treatment in all settings and for other illnesses such as congestive heart failure - averaged more than $10,000 annually.

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