Medical care for pre-diabetes costs nation $25 billion annually, new data shows

WASHINGTON One-in-4 American adults suffers from a silent condition known as pre-diabetes, a condition that costs the nation $25 billion a year in medical costs, according to new data.

Studies also show healthcare costs attributed with some 180,000 pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are estimated at $623 million a year.

In response to high diabetic healthcare costs, The American Diabetes Association recently engaged The Lewin Group to build upon a 2008 study that determined the estimated total direct and indirect costs of diagnosed diabetes in the United States to be $174 billion. 

"It is absolutely critical that we understand the economic impact of diabetes on the nation so that we can develop health care policies that can effectively support the necessary behavior change and aggressive medical management needed to stem the diabetes epidemic," said Dana Haza, senior director of NCDP, an initiative created by Novo Nordisk to drive systems change at the national and local level.

The studies, conducted by The Lewin Group, can be found in the current edition of the peer-reviewed journal Population Health Management.