Costs of Chronic Diseases at the State Level: The Chronic Disease Cost Calculator.
BACKGROUND
Many studies have estimated national chronic disease costs, but state-level estimates are limited. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Chronic Disease Cost Calculator (CDCC), which estimates state-level costs for arthritis, asthma, cancer, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, other heart diseases, depression, and diabetes.


METHODS
Using publicly available and restricted secondary data from multiple national data sets from 2004 through 2008, disease-attributable annual per-person medical and absenteeism costs were estimated. Total state medical and absenteeism costs were derived by multiplying per person costs from regressions by the number of people in the state treated for each disease. Medical costs were estimated for all payers and separately for Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers. Projected medical costs for all payers (2010 through 2020) were calculated using medical costs and projected state population counts.


RESULTS
Median state-specific medical costs ranged from $410 million (asthma) to $1.8 billion (diabetes); median absenteeism costs ranged from $5 million (congestive heart failure) to $217 million (arthritis).


CONCLUSIONS
CDCC provides methodologically rigorous chronic disease cost estimates. These estimates highlight possible areas of cost savings achievable through targeted prevention efforts or research into new interventions and treatments.
Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1101-B McGavran-Greenberg Bldg, 135 Dauer Dr, CB-7411, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411. Email: justintrogdon@unc.edu.
Justin G
JG
Trogdon
Division of Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Louise B
LB
Murphy
RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Olga A
OA
Khavjou
Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Rui
R
Li
New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York.
Christopher M
CM
Maylahn
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Florence K
FK
Tangka
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Tursynbek A
TA
Nurmagambetov
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Donatus U
DU
Ekwueme
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Isaac
I
Nwaise
Division of Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Daniel P
DP
Chapman
Division of Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Diane
D
Orenstein
D000041:Absenteeism; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D017059:Models, Econometric; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States