 |
© Copyright 2008
Shopping cart software by Ecommerce Templates
|
|
|
|
Americans Spent $33.9 Billion Out-of-Pocket on
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
|
Research News:
Americans Spent $33.9 Billion Out-of-Pocket on Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) over the previous 12 months, according to a 2007 government
survey¹. CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices,
and products such as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, and
acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional
medicine. CAM accounts for approximately 1.5 percent of total health care
expenditures ($2.2 trillion²) and 11.2 percent of total out-of-pocket
expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket: $286.6 billion² and CAM out-of-pocket:
$33.9 billion¹) on health care in the United States.
Approximately 38 percent of adults use some form of CAM for health and wellness
or to treat a variety of diseases and conditions, according to data from the
2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)³. The CAM component of the NHIS was
developed by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data provide estimates of the cost of CAM use, the frequency of visits made
to CAM practitioners, and frequency of purchases of self-care CAM therapies.
"With so many Americans using and spending money on CAM therapies, it is
extremely important to know whether the products and practices they use are safe
and effective," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM. "This
underscores the importance of conducting rigorous research and providing
evidence-based information on CAM so that health care providers and the public
can make well-informed decisions."
Of the $33.9 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22.0 billion was
spent on self-care costs—CAM products, classes, and materials—with the majority
going to the purchase of nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products ($14.8
billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and Echinacea. U.S. adults also spent
approximately $11.9 billion on an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM
practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc.
To put these figures in context, the $14.8 billion spent on nonvitamin,
nonmineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total
out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $11.9 billion spent on CAM
practitioner visits is equivalent to approximately one-quarter of total
out-of-pocket spending on physician visits.
"These data indicate that the U.S. public makes millions of visits to CAM
providers each year and spends billions of dollars for these services, as well
as for self-care forms of CAM," said Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D., MPH, acting
director of NCCAM's Division of Extramural Research and lead author of the cost
of complementary and alternative medicine analysis. "While these expenditures
represent just a small fraction of total health care spending in the United
States, they constitute a substantial part of out-of-pocket health care costs."
Inclusion and development of the 2007 NHIS supplement was supported, in part, by
seven NIH components: NCCAM; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of Mental
Health; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development; Office of Dietary Supplements; and Office of Behavioral and Social
Sciences Research.
* ¹ Nahin, RL, Barnes PM, Stussman BJ, and Bloom B. Costs of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Frequency of Visits to CAM Practitioners: United
States, 2007. National health statistics reports; no 18. Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.
* ² Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National
Health Expenditure Data for 2007. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/02_NationalHealthAccountsHistorical.asp#TopOfPage.
Accessed June 25, 2009.
* ³ Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use
Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National health statistics
reports; no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008.
Media note: For the full report and downloadable graphics visit—nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's mission is to
explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of
rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative
information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call
NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site
at nccam.nih.gov. NCCAM 1999–2009: Celebrating 10 years of rigorous research.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is a component of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NCHS's mission is to provide
statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the
health of the American people. The CDC protects people's health and safety by
preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by
providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy
living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international
organizations.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)—The Nation's Medical Research
Agency—includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for
conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |
|
Dr Vasquez's Comments:
What is commonly called "CAM" from the allopathic medical perspective
is more globally considered "traditional medicine" by the rest of the world and
when placed into an accurate historical perspective, in which people have cared
for themselves and others by the use of food, exercise, and
nutritional/botanical interventions. In contrast, the drug- and
surgery-centered healthcare paradigm has only existed for about 100-200 years.
|
|
|
|
|
