The Fastest Rising Health Care Cost? Take a Guess
By Pat Racimora on September 26, 2009 at 11:40 AM in Health Care, Insurance Policies & Industry
Can you guess which health care costs are rising the fastest? I’ll even help you out by listing the top five (and portraying them in my toon).
Cancer
Asthma
Trauma (externally inflicted injuries)
Heart Conditions
Mental illness
Got your answer in mind?
If you guessed Mental Illness or Trauma, you would be right. Both have skyrocketed in recent years (even accounting for inflation). According to a study by Medical Expenditure Panel Survey:
In terms of health care expenditures, the same five conditions were ranked as the five most costly conditions in 1996 and 2006. There was an increase in the expenditures for each of these conditions when comparing them over time. The number of people with expenditures associated with these conditions increased from 1996 to 2006 for all conditions except trauma-related disorders.
The biggest increase in number of people accounting for expenditures was for mental disorders (19.3 million to 36.2 million).
The expenditures for mental disorders rose from $35.2 billion in 1996 (in 2006 dollars) to 57.5 billion in 2006. Medical expenditures on trauma-related disorders also increased substantially from 1996 (in 2006 dollars) to 2006, $46.2 billion to $68.1 billion.
When we talk about health problems, we are usually refering to chronic physical illnesses. That the number of people accounting for expenses for mental disorders almost doubled in recent years should be of great concern. But who is talking about this? Who is concerned about the debilitating depression and anxiety caused by the economic collapse and feelings of insecurity?
We have multiple types of mental health professionals, and people who are experiencing emotional distress should consider consulting one. But unlike physical conditions, research reveals that stigma remains attached to seeking help for emotional problems. It’s no problem to announce, “I broke my leg in three places last week” compared to, “I am seeing a psychologist for my deep depression.” Stigma increases isolation which, in turn, can exacerbate symptoms.
However, even those who seek assistance may find it lacking, not because of any shortcoming on the part of the professionals but because one’s insurance allows far fewer sessions than needed to adequately resolve the problem. My colleagues complain that they can often barely scratch the surface before the allotted number of sessions (often as few as 4) are up, especially when the matter is of long duration. Meds may relieve symptoms, but they can’t fix an underlying problem.
My main point for doing this story is to help bring to light the fact that mental disorders comprise a major health issue in terms of cost as well as frequency. Thirty six million people went for help in 2006. That’s a lot of troubled folks. I would bet that number has increased in the last three years. And how many just suffer alone, remaining uncounted?
One ray of hope is us. Most of us can’t perform surgery or find a cure for cancer, but we can reach out to others who are depressed or stressed out. Not every mental disorder can be treated by simple caring, of course, but friendship is a powerful medicine for those who are having trouble coping with a troubled world.
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