Everything is going up in price these days, including the cost of healthcare. One reason that's the case is chronic diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 60 percent of adults have at least one chronic health condition and 40 percent of adults have at least two or more.
Dr. Anna Milavetz, Executive Medical Director with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, defines a chronic disease as a medical condition that lasts longer than a year requiring ongoing care.
According to the partnership to fight chronic disease, $4.1 trillion is spent nationwide treating chronic conditions. That's 75 percent of the overall healthcare spending.
Here in Utah, nearly $18 billion is spent annually on chronic disease management with an estimated cost per resident of $7,500.
"Even though we think as ourselves as healthy, it's an ongoing problem that we need to just address across the board, right? It's not just heart disease, it's diabetes, it's high cholesterol, it's obesity," says Dr. Milavetz.
She says simple things like going out for walks and getting your 10,000 steps a day can go a long way.
And, she says staying on top of your regular screenings and doctor visits, and keeping up with medications if you do have a chronic disease will help too.
