Why are the Chronic Disease Cost Calculator estimates important?
The Chronic Disease Cost Calculator is a downloadable tool that provides the first Medicaid-specific, state-level estimates of Medicaid spending for six chronic diseases: congestive heart failure, heart disease (other than congestive heart failure), stroke, hypertension, cancer and diabetes. Cost Calculator cost estimates include both federal and state payments for Medicaid and reflect how much money the Medicaid program spends on a specific set of chronic diseases within a state in one year. The statistical analysis used to generate these estimates minimizes double-counting of costs across diseases, which often occurs in other cost estimates. For a detailed explanation of Cost Calculator methodology, including how it calculates prevalence and per person costs, refer to the Cost Calculator Technical Appendix. These estimates provide vital information to better understand how pervasive these chronic diseases are and the cost burden they impose. These Medicaid estimates should not be vie
