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Cost of 10 most expensive health conditions near $500 Billion

Newswise — The nation’s 10 most expensive medical conditions cost about $500 billion to treat in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The money paid for visits to doctor's offices, clinics and emergency departments, hospital stays, home health care and prescription medicines.

Estimated spending for the 10 most expensive conditions:

Heart conditions $76 billion
Trauma disorders $72 billion
Cancer $70 billion
Mental disorders, including depression $56.0 billion
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease $54 billion
High blood pressure $42 billion
Type 2 diabetes $34 billion
Osteoarthritis and other joint diseases $34 billion
Back problems $32 billion
Normal childbirth $32 billion

AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States.

The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid.

For the medical care costs of other conditions in 2005, go to http://www.meps.ahrq.gov, and under “MEPS Topics” click on “Health Care Costs,” then “Expenditures by Medical Condition,” and then click on Table 3.