The cost of five major chronic conditions, in physical and financial terms:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, and cost the U.S. $407.3 billion between 2018 to 2019.
- Between 2017 and 2020, 10% of adults age 20 or older had total cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL. As a contributing factor to heart disease, high cholesterol shares in its high financial cost.
- Over 11% of the population had diabetes in 2021. The total cost of diagnosed diabetes (in 2022) was $412.9 billion.
- Nearly 1 in 2 adults has hypertension, with total annual costs estimated at $79 billion.
- 7.7% of Americans have asthma, and its estimated economic cost is $50 billion annually.
Moreover, these conditions are not only costly as individual ailments, but are a contributing factor to many other health issues as well. All told, 76% of all office visits, 81% of all inpatient admissions, and 91% of all Rx prescriptions involve one or more chronic conditions.
In total, chronic conditions are the top causes of illness, disability, and death in the U.S., and cost Americans over $4 trillion per year in medical costs and lost productivity.
Numbers like these are why we created MedBen WellLiving – a forward-thinking wellness program designed specifically to address both the physical and financial costs of chronic conditions.
By introducing a proactive approach to wellness through annual exams and regular screenings, your members take a positive step in improving their long-term health and reducing their mortality risk. In the first year after adding the program, WellLiving clients see an average 29% increase in preventive care visits (with incentives).
With better physical health comes a healthier bottom line as well. Over the past five years, WellLiving clients have consistently realized lower average costs on chronic condition care compared to those who don’t use our wellness program (see chart).
Overall, MedBen WellLiving clients saved 6.3% on average compared to non-WellLiving clients from 2019 to 2023.
There’s much more we can tell you about WellLiving, such as one-on-one coaching for high-risk members and actionable reporting that lets you see in pure dollars-and-cents how wellness works… and we’d welcome the chance to do just that. Contact your broker or call MedBen Marketing at 888-627-8683.