News: Average cost of treating disease in U.S. increased 1.6 times from 1999 to 2022, analysis shows
Healthcare spending in the United States is notoriously high. According to a new report by HealthCare.com, the average cost of treating disease in the United States increased 60% from 1999 to 2022. The new report is based on an analysis of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' Disease Based Price Indexes. The federal data tracks the costs to treat 115 diseases, HealthLeaders reported.
The new report has several key data points:
- The average cost of treating disease increased 1.6 times from 1999 to 2022
- Intestinal infections experienced the largest treatment cost increase, rising 4.3 times from 1999 to 2022
- After intestinal infections, the two diseases that experienced the largest treatment cost increases were tonsillitis (4.19 times increase) and diseases of the mouth excluding dental (4.16 times increase)
- Diabetes with complications experienced the largest treatment cost decrease, falling to 0.2 in 2022 compared to a base treatment cost of 1 in 1999
- After diabetes with complications, the two diseases that experienced the largest treatment cost decreases were heart attack (0.39 times decrease) and arterial blood clot (0.52 times decrease)
- For disease categories, “symptoms; signs; and ill-defined conditions” experienced the largest treatment cost increase, rising 2.4 times from 1999 to 2022
- For disease categories, cancer experienced the largest treatment cost decrease, falling to 0.9 times what it cost to treat in 1999
On top of the 60% increase noted in the new report, a recent analysis by CMS found that national health expenditures are expected to increase at 4.6% in 2022, driven in part by higher healthcare prices linked to inflation in the economy. Healthcare spending is expected to total $4.5 trillion this year, the CMS analysis found.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in HealthLeaders. To read the full report from HealthCare.com, click here. To read about the CMS analysis, click here.