The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a statistical brief documenting the medical conditions that accounted for the largest share of the nation’s $790 billion hospitalization costs in 2004. Five medical conditions accounted for 20% of the national hospital bill: coronary atherosclerosis, pregnancy and delivery, care of newborn infants, acute myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. Sixty percent of the cost of nearly 39 million hospitalizations in 2004 was for the care of Medicaid and Medicare patients.
Hospital stays for coronary atherosclerosis had the highest charges at $44 billion, while pregnancy and delivery were the second most expensive, at $41 billion. Pneumonia and osteoarthritis were among the top five expensive conditions for Medicare. Pregnancy and delivery and care of newborns constituted the most expensive hospital stays for Medicaid, but pneumonia and mental disorders also ranked in the top five expensive conditions. For private insurers, the most expensive care was for pregnancy and delivery, care of newborns, atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction, and back problems. Intracranial injury and stroke were among the most expensive conditions billed to uninsured patients.
