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. 1985 Fall;7(1):61-80.

The economic costs of illness: a replication and update

D P Rice, T A Hodgson, A N Kopstein

The economic costs of illness: a replication and update

D P Rice et al. Health Care Financ Rev. 1985 Fall.

Abstract

The economic burden resulting from illness, disability, and premature death is of major importance in the allocation of health care resources and in the evaluation of health research and programs. This article updates the 1963 and 1972 studies of the costs of illness. In 1980, the estimated total economic costs of illness were $455 billion: $211 billion for direct costs, $68 billion for morbidity, and $176 billion for mortality. Diseases of the circulatory system and injuries and poisonings were the most costly, with variations in the diagnostic distributions among the three types of costs and by age and sex.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Percent distribution of economic costs of illness, by diagnosis and type of cost: 1980
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent distribution of economic costs of illness, by sex, age, and type of cost: 1980
Figure 3
Figure 3. Present value of lifetime earnings, by sex and discount rate: 1980
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References

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