Diabetes Association Estimates Diabetes Costs Nation $174 Billion Each Year

A new report from the American Diabetes Association estimates diabetes cost the nation $174 billion in 2007. The estimate includes $116 billion in excess medical expenditures and $58 billion in reduced national productivity, according to the report by the Lewin Group. Medical costs attributed to diabetes include $27 billion for care to directly treat diabetes, $58 billion to treat chronic complications attributed to diabetes, and $31 billion in excess general medical costs. Hospital inpatient care accounted for half of the estimated medical expenditures. On average, medical expenditures are more than twice as much for patients with diabetes, the study estimates. As of 2007, 17.5 million U.S. residents have been diagnosed with diabetes, the study estimates, up from 12.1 million in 2002. “The burden of diabetes is imposed on all sectors of society – higher insurance premiums paid by employees and employers, reduced earnings through productivity loss, and reduced overall quality of life for people with diabetes and their families and friends,” the report concludes