A new analysis from the American Heart Association (AHA) predicts that the cost of informal caregiving for patients with heart disease and stroke will double from $61 billion in 2015 to $128 billion in 2035, with the total projected costs of treating cardiovascular disease (CVD) increasing from $616 billion in 2015 to $1.2 trillion in 2035.
The analysis was published online as a policy statement in Circulation on April 9.
"Informal caregivers are indispensable assets to our health care system and often play a significant role in the recovery and well-being of heart disease and stroke survivors," AHA CEO Nancy Brown, said in a news release.
"By 2035, the number of Americans living with heart disease and stroke will rise to 131.2 million — 45% of the total US population. Understanding the escalating burden this will place on the family members and friends who care for these individuals is essential if we are to address this looming crisis," she said.
Sandra Dunbar, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues analyzed data collected in 2014 from 16,731 adults aged 54 years and older who participated in the Health and Retirement Survey. Informal caregiving is defined as the home care provided by family members or friends for loved ones with no compensation. The researchers calculated the dollar value of informal caregiving by using the 2015 median wage for home health workers and increasing it by 46% to account for fringe benefits.
For patients with stroke, the annual cost of informal caregiving will be $66 billion by 2035, accounting for half of the total cost of $128 billion, the researchers report.
For African Americans, who often suffer stroke earlier and rely more on family or friends for long-term care, the annual cost of informal care at the individual level will increase from $7200 in 2015 to $10,000 in 2035, they predict.
White non-Hispanic patients with heart disease and stroke will have the highest total costs because they are the largest segment of the population. For this group, the 2035 price tag for informal caregiving will reach $70 billion, up from $37.7 billion in 2015.
For people aged 80 and over, CVD costs in 2035 will increase to $53 billion, surpassing 2015 caregiving costs at $24 billion for those age 65 to 79, the researchers report.
Costs of CVD care will be greater for women than men ($73 billion vs $55 billion) because women typically live longer and experience CVD at a later age.
"The dramatic rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the next two decades will place an intense strain on caregivers, putting their own health at risk from the ongoing distress, physical demands and costs. Our nation will ultimately bear the financial impact of this situation, especially as the caregiver pool shrinks," Dunbar said in the news release.
To deal with the rising expense of caregiving, the AHA recommends that policy officials, lawmakers, and healthcare leaders take several steps:
Act on recommendations made by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in their 2016 report, "Families Caring for an Aging America." These recommendations include developing mechanisms within Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to support informal caregivers; establishing payment reforms that motivate providers to engage caregivers in healthcare delivery and federal policies that provide economic support for caregivers; and reviewing state initiatives that address caregiver needs.
Make palliative care available for patients with advanced CVD sooner by expanding access in all hospital and community-based settings.
Embed caregiver engagement and outcomes in performance and payment reforms.
Invest more in caregiving research and focus on priority areas, such as healthcare delivery reforms that would preserve the well-being and productivity of caregivers and examine ways to enhance caregiver support and education.
Implement the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which provides a framework for public and private sector stakeholders to develop and execute a national caregiving strategic action plan.
"With the US population growing older, the need for caregivers will accelerate considerably in the next two decades," said Brown. "We have no time to waste, if we are to minimize the burden that will be placed on these Americans and their loved ones and wipe out the devastating economic and health impact of heart disease and stroke."
The study had no commercial funding. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Circulation. Published online April 9, 2018. Abstract
For more from theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology, follow us on Twitter and Facebook
Medscape Medical News © 2018
Cite this: AHA: Costs of Informal Caregiving for CVD Projected to Soar - Medscape - Apr 16, 2018.
Comments