A very small percentage of our population consumes a very large percentage of our money for health care. These chronically ill patients account for 83% of the $ 1.67 trillion spent on healthcare and cause two-thirds of deaths in the US.

The main chronic conditions are: heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory disease. These diseases are the leading causes of death and a major source of illness, hospitalization, and health care costs. Not to mention the cost of the long-term disability associated with them. And without aggressive intervention, these costs are expected to worsen.

As mentioned above, total national spending on health care increased to $ 1.67 trillion. That’s more than $ 5,500 per person in the US And that’s a 7% increase from the previous year.

Spending on health care for a patient with a chronic disease is on average two and a half times that of a patient without a chronic disease. Or put another way, the average cost for a patient with a chronic condition is more than $ 13,000.

Not surprisingly, many of those with chronic conditions have less insurance and require higher out-of-pocket costs. They also file for bankruptcy more frequently (51% of those who file bankruptcy cite medical expenses as the cause). And the number of bankruptcies related to medicine has increased 30-fold since 1980.

To make these figures more devastating, it is enough to take into account the aging of the population. By 2011, the first of the baby boomers will reach 65 years of age, the additional stress it will put on these numbers cannot be doubted. Also due to medical technology, people with chronic diseases live longer and require more services and additional costs.

For a more detailed look at how this is related, let’s look at a condition and see its impact. Diabetes is the inability of the body to use glucose. Some types of diabetes can be controlled with diet and / or oral medications, while other types require an injection of insulin and close monitoring of glucose levels. Diabetes can be linked to other diseases like neuropathy, glaucoma, and heart disease, to name a few. More than 18 million Americans have diabetes, and about a third do not even know they have the disease.

By 2050, an estimated 29 million residents will be diagnosed with diabetes. It is now the sixth leading cause of death, with more than 200,000 deaths each year from diabetes or related complications. The estimated cost in 2002 was $ 132 billion, of which $ 92 billion was for direct medical costs, $ 40 billion was for indirect costs such as lost work days, restricted activities, and disability.

Heart disease and stroke accumulate similar numbers: 70 million of us or 1 in 4 live with cardiovascular disease; and heart disease is responsible for 1 death every 34 seconds. It cost the US $ 394 billion in 2005 in direct and indirect costs.

You can see how quickly these chronic diseases can rack up staggering numbers. You can also see how those few on the Medicare / Medicaid lists can account for 83% of health care spending.

Many state governments are looking at this problem and possible solutions to avoid financial crises. Even the federal government is investigating cost-saving measures. Disease management programs are one option. These programs not only help prevent chronic disease patients from further illnesses and costly treatments, but also involve patients in managing their own care. This frees up scarce healthcare resources.

Insurance companies and private industries use disease management. Those identified with diabetes, for example, are contacted and kept informed about the importance of healthy behaviors. Specifically, they are contacted by phone and asked how often they check their glucose and what the values ​​are. Those who do not have a strict control are recommended to visit their doctors.

Another method of limiting chronic diseases and their enormous costs is through prevention. Several states have instituted these programs. Whether it’s cancer screening procedures like mammograms or colonoscopies in Michigan or smoking cessation programs like Arizona and California, states are becoming more proactive.

It is vital to our nation that chronic conditions like heart disease and stroke are limited. Not only for the direct costs each of us has to pay, but also for the indirect costs to our workforce and our nation. And as the population ages, more and more patients will be diagnosed with chronic conditions, inflating an already limited system. We must find a solution now before the cost is out of our reach.