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Waterborne
Diseases Could Cost over $500 Million Annually in U.S.
8/22/10
Hospitalizations for three common waterborne diseases cost the health care
system as much as $539 million annually, according to research presented last
month at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
"These cost data highlight that water-related diseases pose not only a physical
burden to the thousands of people sickened by them each year, but also a
substantial burden in health care costs, including direct government payments
through Medicare and Medicaid," says Michael Beach of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, an author of the study.
Currently, there are no well-documented data on the total health care costs
associated with all waterborne diseases. However, using data from a large
insurance claims database between 2004 and 2007, Beach and his colleagues
estimated the hospitalization cost of three common waterborne diseases in the
United States: Legionnaires' disease, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis. For each
case of disease, they calculated the cost paid by the insurer, the out-of-pocket
cost to the patient, and the total amount paid.
Total estimated costs for hospitalization for the three diseases was $154-539
million, including $44-147 million in direct government payments for Medicare
and Medicaid. Estimated annual costs for the individual diseases were:
giardiasis, $16-63 million; cryptosporidiosis, $37-145 million; and
Legionnaires' disease, $101-321 million.
Inpatient hospitalization costs per case averaged more than $34,000 for
Legionnaires' disease, approximately $9,000 for giardiasis and more than $21,000
for cryptosporidiosis.
"When people think about these diseases, they usually think of a simple case of
diarrhea, which is a nuisance but quickly goes away. However, these infections
can cause severe illness that often result in hospital stays of more than a
week, which can quickly drive up health care costs," Beach says.
Other symptoms can include rashes, eye and ear infections and respiratory or
neurological symptoms and can even be fatal.
Modest investments in preventing these diseases could lead to reduced disease
and significant healthcare cost savings, Beach says. Some examples of possible,
low-cost interventions include public education campaigns, appropriate
maintenance of building water systems, and regular inspection of pools and other
recreational water facilities.
