Study shows high cost of arthritis for employers
Arthritis and related disorders affect 1 in 7 members of the workforce, leading to major costs related to health care, disability, and reduced productivity, reports a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The study used a research database including nearly 230,000 employees from various USA industries. The analysis included 4 years’ worth of data, including information on health, disability, and workers’ compensation costs.
Overall, 15.5% of workers were affected by arthritis and associated joint disorders. Workers with these disorders were more likely to be women and tended to be older than other workers. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis were the most common diseases, but 70% of workers had other joint-related disorders.
Employees with arthritis and related disorders used 3 times more health care services than other workers. With adjustment for other factors, health care costs for arthritic workers were higher by about $1,000 per year. Prescription drug costs were nearly $200 higher per year.
Arthritis was also associated with increased costs in other categories. The odds of filing a claim for short-term disability were higher by 150% – much higher than for workers with other common conditions, such as asthma or depression. Rates of long-term disability and workers’ compensation claims were higher as well. Where information was available, individual productivity was about 4% lower for workers with arthritis, equivalent to about $7,500 in lost productivity. Including direct health care costs and lost productivity, economic losses due to arthritis and related disorders totaled more than $9,000 per person per year.
Arthritis and associated joint disorders are very common in the population and are expected to become even more so as the population ages. The new results confirm the previously reported figure of 1 in 7 people affected. In the future, that proportion is expected to increase to almost 1 in 5.
The new study is one of the first to examine the economic impact of arthritis and related disorders specifically. Workers with these conditions incur increased costs for direct medical care and even higher costs for disability and lost productivity. “The economic implications of these findings over the next few decades are substantial,” the researchers write. They call for efforts to address the high costs of arthritis and related disorders, including studies of workplace prevention, self-management, and disease management initiatives.
ACOEM, an international society of 6,000 occupational and environmental physicians, provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.
