title: Change in medical spending attributable to diabetes: national data from 1987 to 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetes care has changed substantially in the past 2 decades. We examined the change in medical spending and use related to diabetes between 1987 and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey and the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys in 2000-2001 and 2010-2011, we compared per person medical expenditures and uses among adults ≥ 18 years of age with or without diabetes at the three time points. Types of medical services included inpatient care, emergency room (ER) visits, outpatient visits, prescription drugs, and others. We also examined the changes in unit cost, defined by the expenditure per encounter for medical services.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The excess medical spending attributed to diabetes was $2,588 (95% CI, $2,265 to $3,104), $4,205 ($3,746 to $4,920), and $5,378 ($5,129 to $5,688) per person, respectively, in 1987, 2000-2001, and 2010-2011. Of the $2,790 increase, prescription medication accounted for 55%; inpatient visits accounted for 24%; outpatient visits accounted for 15%; and ER visits and other medical spending accounted for 6%. The growth in prescription medication spending was due to the increase in both the volume of use and unit cost, whereas the increase in outpatient expenditure was almost entirely driven by more visits. In contrast, the increase in inpatient and ER expenditures was caused by the rise of unit costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the past 2 decades, managing diabetes has become more expensive, mostly due to the higher spending on drugs. Further studies are needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of increased spending on drugs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA xiaohui.zhuo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Henry S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Barbara H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Bardenheier
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Edward W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Gregg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult