An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of ... - Milken Institute

An Unhealthy AmericaMilken InstituteThe next figure illustrates the number of Americans with reported cases of cancer in 2003.Figure 2 : : Number of People Reporting Selected Cancers, 20039.07.78.07.06.05.04.03.02.01.01.1 1.00.4 0.30.0OtherCancersBreastCancerProstateCancerLungCancerPopulation Reporting Condition (Millions)ColonCancerSources: MEPS, Milken InstituteOn a more positive note, dramatic improvements in therapies and treatment have led to higher quality of life, lessdisability, and lower rates of mortality. In recent years, most cancers have experienced a drop in incidence anddeath rates. The shift began with colon cancer death rates in the early 1980s; lung, breast, and prostate cancersfollowed similar patterns in the early 1990s. New cases of colon cancer fell after 1985; of lung cancer in 1993; breastcancer in 1999; and prostate cancer in 2003. Significant advances have also been made in treatment of cardiovasculardisease. 8 Death rates related to heart disease began to diminish in the mid-1960s. Approximately half of thedecrease in recent deaths in cardiovascular disease can be attributed to medical treatment. 9Next we discuss our estimates of current treatment expenditures and productivity losses associated with thecurrent burden of disease.Current Treatment ExpendituresIn 2003, treatment expenditures for the diseases studied totaled $277.0 billion. Expenditures were highest forheart disease, at $64.7 billion. For the five cancers, expenditures totaled $48.1 billion. Mental disorders rankedthird, at $45.8 billion, followed by pulmonary conditions at $45.2 billion; hypertension at $32.5 billion; diabetes at$27.1 billion; and stroke at $13.6 billion.These estimates are conservative in two ways. First, we exclude costs for individuals in institutions—many of whomsuffer from chronic disease. Second, because this study addresses a number of chronic diseases, we necessarily[ 4 ]