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Chronic Diseases Cost Employers Billions Annually

Contact: Lindsey Spindle, 202.207.1337, lspindle@avalerehealth.net

10.29.07

Washington, DC – Asthma, diabetes, and hypertension cause working Americans to miss an estimated 164 million work days each year at a cost of $30 billion to employers, says a new analysis by Avalere Health.  The American Hospital Association commissioned the study for its TrendWatch series, which focuses on developing trends in the hospital and healthcare fields. 

Avalere analysts conducted a state-by-state look at the toll of three chronic conditions – asthma, diabetes, and hypertension – on workplace productivity.  Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they first estimated the number of working individuals in each state with the chronic conditions of interest.  Then, using findings from the literature on absenteeism attributable to chronic conditions, Avalere estimated the state-specific impact of the three conditions.  These conditions are some of the most prevalent in the U.S., offering a window into the larger impact of chronic disease on America’s public health and economy. 

Some of the more telling numbers revealed in Avalere’s analysis include:

• For every 1,000 working Americans, an estimated 1,221 work days are lost each year due to asthma, diabetes, and hypertension.
• Nationwide, asthma accounts for roughly 900 missed work days per 1,000 working Americans with the greatest impact in Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts where every 1,000 workers missed more than 1,200 work days.  South Carolina and Hawaii were least affected.
• Missed work days related to diabetes were highest in Mississippi and West Virginia while Colorado and Minnesota had the fewest diabetes-related missed days.  Nationwide, diabetes accounts for an estimated 112 days missed per 1,000 working Americans. The lost work time is estimated to cost employers $2.8 billion.
• In California, hypertension alone accounts for an estimated 2.8 million lost work days each year.  Across the country, hypertension accounts for more than 200 days missed per 1,000 employed persons in the Southeast but fewer than 160 days missed per 1,000 in the North and Southwest.

“Common chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension have a serious impact on Americans’ health and our economy,” said Jennifer Kowalski, a manager at Avalere and lead author of the study.  “If the current trend of increased chronic disease persists, we can expect to see further declines in overall work productivity.” 

“Millions of Americans are unnecessarily suffering from chronic conditions,” said Rich Umbdenstock, AHA president and CEO.  “One thing this research demonstrates is the need to keep people feeling better – able to go on with their lives and work.  We can manage chronic conditions.  The message is clear, preventive medicine and wellness programs must be central to our health care system.”

The full report, “TrendWatch: Healthy People Are the Foundation for a Productive America,” is available for download here.  TrendWatch is produced by the American Hospital Association.  Avalere supplies analytic and research support for the publication. 

Avalere Health is an advisory services company whose core purpose is to create innovative solutions to complex healthcare problems. Based in Washington DC, the firm delivers research, analysis, insight, and strategy for leaders in healthcare business and policy. Avalere's experts span 125 staff drawn from the federal government (e.g., CMS, OMB, CBO, and the Congress), Fortune 500 healthcare companies, top consultancies, and nonprofits. The firm offers deep substance in areas ranging from healthcare coverage and financing to the changing role of evidence in healthcare decision-making. Its focus on strategy is supported by a rigorous, in-house analytic research group that uses public and private data to generate quantitative insight. Through events, publications, and interactive programs, Avalere also translates real-time healthcare developments into actionable information.

Learn more at www.avalerehealth.net.

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