Study considers how Georgians spend health care dollars compared to leading diseases, disorders

A new study from the Institute for Health Metrics compares health care spending in Georgia to the leading causes of poor health and early death. Researchers want to better understand the connection between health care and health outcomes.

Despite heart disease having the largest impact in Georgia, patients are spending the largest part of their health care dollars on Type 2 diabetes, joint and musculoskeletal disorders. 

Joe Dieleman is the author of a study evaluating 77% of all health care spending across the U.S. 

He said, the results show how health care needs vary.

"Type 2 diabetes impacts everyone, of course, but a lot of the spending, the majority of the spending, is on the above 65 population," Dieleman said. "Whereas [with] other musculoskeletal disorders, the majority of the spending is among the working age."

Spending on these health issues is growing tremendously fast, he said. 

"We spend more on those diseases each year than we did the previous year," he said, "And that's even after you control for the aging population of the growing population."

The study examined expenses for inpatient and outpatient hospital care as well as things like pharmaceuticals, home health, and emergency department care to capture as much of the health care spending as possible. 

"In the case of diabetes, so much of the spending is on pharmaceuticals and so much of the spending is outpatient care," he said.

Dieleman says oral and dental disorders comprise the third-largest health spending category in Georgia.