Stroke Costs Go Up Up Up
Stroke continues to be a major public health concern, with more than 750,000 new strokes occurring each year in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer and the leading neurologic cause of long-term disability. In California, stroke accounts for approximately 17,000 deaths each year, 50 deaths per 100,000 population. The annual cost of stroke exceeds $7 billion dolars (4.6 billion in medical care and 2.6 billion in lost productivity). Stroke has a large economic cost with an estimated annual direct and indirect cost of $62.7 billion in the United States. The estimated lifetime cost of an ischemic stroke in 1987 was $90,981 ($226,000 in 2005 dollars); however, between 1990 and 2000, the in-hospital charges, a proxy for cost, increased by 32% and 63% in rural and urban hospitals, respectively.
