MASSDEVICE ON CALL — The cost of diabetes care has increased more than 40% in just 5 years, amounting to $245 billion last year. The growing cost reflects the rising number of patients suffering from the disease, according to a report from the American Diabetes Assn.

More than $1 in every $10 spent on healthcare in the U.S. goes to diabetes and related complications, and more than $2 of every $10 is spent on health complications of a patient that has diabetes, according to a press release.

"As the number of people with diabetes grows, so does the economic burden it places on this country," ADA chief scientific & medical officer Dr. Robert Ratner said in prepared remarks. "It is important to note that while treating diabetes is expensive, it is the fact that the prevalence of the disease is increasing dramatically. Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050."

Key points from the study included:

• Medical expenditures for people with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than for those without diabetes.
• The primary driver of increased costs is the increasing prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. population.
• Despite the introduction of new classes of medication for the treatment of diabetes, anti-diabetic agents and diabetes supplies continue to account for only 12% of medical expenditures in both 2007 and 2012.
• Most of the cost for diabetes care in the U.S., 62.4 percent, is provided by government insurance (including Medicare, Medicaid and the military). The rest is paid for by private insurance (34.4 percent) or by the uninsured (3.2 percent).
• Among states, California has the largest population with diabetes and thus the highest costs, at $27.6 billion.  Although Florida’s total population is fourth among states behind California, Texas and New York, it is second in costs at $18.9 billion.

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