Alarming 50%+ of Americans could have diabetes or pre-diabetes at a cost of $3,350 billion by 2020

More than 50% of Americans could have diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020 at a cost of $3,350 billion over the next decade if current trends continue, according to new analysis by UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Health Reform & Modernization, but there are also practical solutions for slowing the trend.

New estimates show diabetes and pre-diabetes will account for an estimated 10% of total health care spending by the end of the decade at an annual cost of almost $500 billion - up from an estimated $194 billion this year.

The report, “The United States of Diabetes: Challenges and Opportunities in the Decade Ahead,” produced for this month's National Diabetes Awareness month, offers practical solutions that could improve health and life expectancy, while also saving up to $250 billion over the next 10 years, if programs to prevent and control diabetes are adopted broadly and scaled nationally. This figure includes $144 billion in potential savings to the federal government in Medicare, Medicaid and other public programs.