Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, raised aggregate annual medical care expenditures in the U.S. by nearly $186 billion. The shocking figure comes out of research from Stony Brook University. Insurers paid $149.4 billion of the tab while $36.1 billion were out-of-pocket expenses.
According to the cost analysis study results that were published in the December 2009 Arthritis & Rheumatism, expenditures for physician services, hospital and outpatient services, drugs, diagnostic testing and other services were included. The annual insurer healthcare expenditures were higher for women than men as were out-of-pocket expenses. The study clearly points out the major impact of osteoarthritis on U.S. healthcare costs.
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