The Chronic Cost of Chronic Diseases

The Boston Globe
October 18, 2007

CHRONIC HEALTH conditions such as cancer, mental illness, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes extract a terrible human cost.  According to figures released yesterday by the Milken Institute, Massachusetts has one of the highest rates nationwide for chronic illness.   

While the state's healthcare system is the best worldwide in helping acutely sick people, it is poorly organized to prevent chronic disease or to intervene early enough to prevent complications.  Chronic disease requires multiple healthcare interactions every year to ensure small but steady advances that can prolong life. 

The impact of chronic illness takes a toll on everyone it touches; on a personal level, and on an economic level as the hidden and rising costs to treat chronic diseases  strap organizations that must balance healthcare costs against other funding priorities.  The unrelenting growth of chronic disease not only threatens the health and well-being of citizens but also the Massachusetts economy.

...Consider these facts: More than half of all Americans have at least one chronic illness, and despite advances in treatment and management, the rates have risen significantly. The  Milken study pegs the total cost of these diseases on the national economy at $1.3 trillion annually for treatment and lost productivity, including $34 billion in Massachusetts.

...A recent study by the New England Healthcare Institute indicates that while Massachusetts has made progress in reducing the impact of major diseases over the past 10 years, rising chronic disease rates could offset that progress. 

Link to Full Article: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/10/18/the_chronic_cost_of_chronic_diseases/