Abstract
BackgroundThe costs of arthritis to the individuals and the state are considerable.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of the base population of Health&WealthMOD, a microsimulation model of 45 to 64 year old Australians built on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers and STINMOD, an income and savings microsimulation model.ResultsIndividuals aged 45 to 64 years who had retired early due to arthritis had a median value of AU$260 in total weekly income whereas those who were employed full time were likely to average more than five times this. The large national aggregate impact of early retirement due to arthritis includes AU$9.4 billion in lost GDP, attributable to arthritis through its impact on labour force participation.When looking at the ongoing impact of being out of the labour force those who retired from the labour force early due to arthritis were estimated to have a median value of total savings by the time they are 65 of as little as $300 (for males aged 45–54). This is far lower than the median value of savings for those males aged 45–54 who remained in the labour force full time, who would have an estimated $339 100 of savings at age 65.ConclusionsThe costs of arthritis to the individuals and the state are considerable. The impacts on the state include loss of productivity from reduced workforce participation, lost income taxation revenue, and increased government support payments – in addition to direct health care costs. Individuals bear the economic costs of lost income and the reduction of their savings over the long term.
Highlights
The costs of arthritis to the individuals and the state are considerable
Within Australia arthritis has been listed as a ‘National Health Priority Area’ [7], and affects 15% of the population [3]
Building the microsimulation model: health&WealthMOD The output dataset of a microsimulation model, Health& WealthMOD, which is Australia’s first microsimulation model of income, wealth, health and disability, was used to analyse the impacts that arthritis has on labour force participation, personal income and wealth, and government revenue and expenditure amongst Australians aged 45 to 64 years
Summary
Arthritis is a common and costly health condition internationally [1,2]. The direct medical costs of arthritis are significant, with the condition being the fourth most common reason for seeking general practitioner medical care [3]. Treatment of arthritis in Australia cost around $4 billion (AU) in health system expenditure in 2004–05, the fourth largest cause of health expenditure in the country [4]. This figure covers only the direct medical costs, and the indirect costs, are considered to be larger [5,6].
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