Chronic Disease On U.S. Economy Is $1 Trillion Annually

In a groundbreaking study released today by the Milken Institute, the annual economic impact on the U.S. economy of the most common chronic diseases is calculated to be more than $1 trillion, which could balloon to nearly $6 trillion by the middle of the century.

Yet the news is not entirely grim because much of this cost is avoidable. “An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease” brings to light for the first time what is often overlooked in the discussion of the impact of chronic disease — the economic loss associated with preventable illness.

The study is the first of its kind to estimate the avoidable costs if a serious effort were made to improve Americans’ health. Assuming modest improvements in preventing and treating disease, Milken Institute researchers determined that by 2023 the nation could avoid 40 million cases of chronic disease and reduce the economic impact of chronic disease by 27 percent, or $1.1 trillion annually. They report that the most important factor is obesity, which if rates declined could lead to $60 billion less in treatment costs and $254 billion in increased productivity.

To reduce the human and economic cost of disease, the Milken Institute calls for: More incentives to promote prevention and early intervention. The full report is available on www.milkeninstitute.org and an interactive web site with complete national- and state-level data for each of the chronic diseases is available at www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com.

Steve - a welcome study for sure. Yet, our current medical model, food staples, government/agribusiness interplay, and overall motivation does not encourage a preventative model.