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Americans Spent $33.9 Billion Out-of-Pocket on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
June 30, 2009 - Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) over the previous 12 months, according to a 2007 government survey[1].
AM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products such as herbal supplements,
meditation, chiropractic, and acupuncture that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM
accounts for approximately 1.5 percent of total health care expenditures ($2.2 trillion2) and 11.2 percent of
total out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket: $286.6 billion[2]and CAM out-of-pocket:
$33.9 billion[1]) on health care in the United States.
Approximately 38 percent of adults use some form of CAM for health and wellness or to treat a variety of diseases and conditions,
according to data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) [3] . The CAM component of the NHIS was developed by the National
Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Center for
Health Statistics (NCHS) part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data provide estimates of the
cost of CAM use, the frequency of visits made to CAM practitioners, and frequency of purchases of self-care CAM therapies.
"With so many Americans using and spending money on CAM therapies, it is extremely important to know whether the products and
practices they use are safe and effective," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM. "This underscores the importance of
conducting rigorous research and providing evidence-based information on CAM so that health care providers and the public
can make well-informed decisions."
Of the $33.9 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22.0 billion was spent on self-care costs - CAM products, classes, and materials - with
the majority going to the purchase of nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products ($14.8 billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and Echinacea. U.S. adults also
spent approximately $11.9 billion on an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc.
To put these figures in context, the $14.8 billion spent on nonvitamin, nonmineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third
of total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $11.9 billion spent on CAM practitioner visits is equivalent to approximately
one-quarter of total out-of-pocket spending on physician visits.
"These data indicate that the U.S. public makes millions of visits to CAM providers each year and spends billions of dollars for these services,
as well as for self-care forms of CAM," said Richard L. Nahin, Ph.D., MPH, acting director of NCCAM's Division of Extramural Research and lead author of
the cost of complementary and alternative medicine analysis. "While these expenditures represent just a small fraction of total health care spending
in the United States, they constitute a substantial part of out-of-pocket health care costs."
Inclusion and development of the 2007 NHIS supplement was supported, in part, by seven NIH components: NCCAM; National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of Mental Health; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development; Office of Dietary Supplements; and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is a component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NCHS's mission
is to provide statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people. The CDC protects people's
health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical
health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations. The complete
data set can be found under "Questionnaires, Datasets, and Documentation" at www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's (NCCAM) mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical
practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals.
For additional information, call NCCAM's Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and
translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more
information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
REFERENCES:
1 Nahin, RL, Barnes PM, Stussman BJ, and Bloom B. Costs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Frequency of Visits
to CAM Practitioners: United States, 2007. National health statistics reports; no 18. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.
2 Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Data for 2007. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Avaialble at: Click here :
Accessed June 25, 2009.
3 Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National health statistics
reports; no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008.
Media note: For the full report and downloadable graphics visit - http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/.
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SOURCE: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2009/nccam-30.htm
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