Diabetes Adds $4,100+ to Annual Medical Bills

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — People with diabetes spend an average
$4,174 more every year on medical costs than those who don’t have
the disease, a gap that increases substantially each year following
initial diagnosis, according to a study in the American Diabetes Association
journal Diabetes Care.

The study,
by researchers at RTI International, also found that medical costs
go up an additional $158 per year after diagnosis over and above
the amount they would rise due to aging-related increases.

Diabetes-related complications such as heart and kidney disease
are a main source for the increase in costs, the study said. But
once the complications were controlled, researchers found the
remaining cost increase was $75 each year, the bulk of which could
be attributed to the increasing need for diabetes medications the
longer a person lives with the disease.

“The good news is that many of these costs could be contained
through proper diabetes management and lifestyle changes,” said
lead researcher Justin Trogdon. “Numerous studies show that losing
weight and increasing physical activity, along with maintaining
proper blood glucose levels, can substantially delay or reduce the
risk for diabetes-related complications. What our study does is to
point out that there is also a cumulative, financial impact to the
progression of this disease.”

Preventing the onset of diabetes would also help to reduce
cumulative costs, since medical expenditures grow along with the
duration of the disease, the researchers said.