Direct medical expenditures totaled $92 billion and comprised $23.2 billion for diabetes care, $24.6 billion for chronic diabetes-related complications, and $44.1 billion for excess prevalence of general medical conditions. Indirect costs resulting from lost workdays, restricted activity days, mortality, and permanent disability due to diabetes totaled $40.8 billion.

The per capita annual costs of health care for people with diabetes rose from $10,071 in 1997 to $13,243 in 2002, an increase of more than 30%. In contrast, health care costs for people without diabetes amounted to $2,560 in 2002.
Direct Costs of Diabetes

Estimated at $92 billion in 2002, compared to $44 billion in 1997.

Represents 19% of total personal health care expenditures in the U.S. However, diagnosed diabetes patients account for only 4.2% of the total U.S. population.

$40.3 billion was spent for inpatient hospital care and $13.8 billion for nursing home care for people with diabetes.

Diabetes-related hospitalizations totaled 16.9 million days in 2002. Rates of outpatient care were highest for physician office visits, which included 62.6 million visits to treat persons with diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease is the most costly complication of diabetes, accounting for more than $17.6 billion of the $91.8 billion annual direct medical costs for diabetes in 2002.

Indirect Costs of Diabetes

Estimated to be $40 billion in 2002.

In 2002, diabetes accounted for a loss of nearly 88 million disability days.

176,000 cases of permanent disability were caused by diabetes, at a cost of $7.5 billion.