Advancing Health Equity, Improving Health Outcomes for All Could Save U.S. $3.8 Trillion

New Data Elevate Access to Primary Care and Improved Adherence as Immediate Opportunities for Savings

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today released new data and analysis on the economic impact of achieving health equity in chronic disease outcomes through 2031. The analysis found that a total of $3.8 trillion in costs could be saved by empowering people with chronic conditions to achieve recommended health outcomes, specifically $2.7 trillion in medical costs and $1.1 trillion in less absenteeism over 10 years. The data assessed people aged 18 and older with insurance who have one or more of nine common conditions: Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, HIV, arthritis, or colorectal cancer.

“Improving equity in health outcomes for people living with chronic conditions presents significant opportunities to reduce costs and, most importantly, improve the quality of life for millions of Americans. As this analysis shows, empowering people living with chronic conditions to achieve recommended health goals – that is achieving health equity in outcomes – benefits everyone,” stated Ken Thorpe, PFCD Chair.

The economic analysis shows that improving health outcomes lowers medical spending and related economic losses across all racial and ethnic groups, though some communities experience higher per capita rates of illnesses and deaths across various health conditions. These inequities persist across insurance status and types as well as socioeconomic levels, and opportunities for health improvement and the resulting savings are universal.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease worked with GlobalData Plc. on this economic model and delivered findings on the national and state level.

Key findings include:

• $3.8 trillion could be saved in reduced medical and lost work productivity if the U.S. healthcare system worked to empower all people living with chronic and tools to empower patients in communities of color and committed to redressing social and structural determinants of health, like systemic racism.
• Black, Hispanic, and Asian insured adults diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions could save over $900 Billion in medical costs and over $350 Billion in lost productivity costs over 10 years by reducing chronic disease burden.
• Health disparities are costly. Compared with their White peers of the same age, gender, and type of insurance, Black and Hispanic patients with chronic disease are projected to incur more than $471 Billion in higher medical costs over 10 years.
• Millions of people in America live in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas which limits access to primary care. On average, only 46% of areas in U.S. have adequate access to primary care, as defined by U.S. HHS.

“Improving health equity is a national imperative. Enabling all Americans to better manage chronic conditions consistent with national goals and published standards of care will reduce health disparities, improve quality of life, and generate social and economic benefits,” said Tim Dall, Executive Director, GlobalData Plc.

For more information on the data, including fact sheets, and the methodology of this analysis, please visit: www.fightchronicdisease.org/pfcd-in-the-states.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an international coalition of patient, provider, community, business and labor groups, and health policy experts, committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs: chronic disease.