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AHA raises alarm over rising heart disease costs

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Due in part to the fact that a growing number of people are receiving unhealthy cholesterol test results, the cost of treating heart disease will triple by 2030, according to a new policy statement from the American Heart Association.

The statement, which was published in the journal Circulation, says that 17 percent of overall healthcare expenditures already go toward treating heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Unless more is done to curb rising cholesterol and heart disease levels, costs will continue to spiral out of control, the report said.

"Despite the successes in reducing and treating heart disease over the last half century, even if we just maintain our current rates, we will have an enormous financial burden on top of the disease itself," said Paul Heidenreich, chair of the panel that wrote the statement.

Altogether, the report estimates that the cost of treating heart disease will rise from $273 billion to $818 billion in 2030. When the $276 billion in estimated lost productivity is factored in, heart disease could soon cost the U.S. more than $1 trillion each year.