Arthritis keeps people from living their lives Arthritis keeps people from living their lives. Attacking more than 50 million Americans, including 300,000 kids, this disease literally stops people in their tracks, limiting 1 in 3 who have it from pursuing the careers and activities they love. (localize the stats-for example) Georgia has over 1.5 million adults with arthritis. 45 percent of those are physically unable to do the things they love to do and need to do because of their arthritis. (State statistics are available at http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/state.htm) NOTE: Data sources can be found at http://www.arthritis.org/files/images/AF_Connect/Departments/Public_Relations/Arthritis-Prevalence-Fact-Sheet--3-7-12.pdf

Individuals not only pay dearly for having arthritis, but so does our health care system and our businesses. Fighting arthritis and finding a cure would literally grow the bottom line of the nation’s businesses – small, medium or large – as well as the overall economy. Remember, arthritis alone costs the economy $128 billion each and every year. The top five conditions— septicemia [sep-tuh-see-mee-uh]; osteoarthritis; complication of device, implant or graft; liveborn (newborn) infants; and acute myocardial [my-a-card-ial] infarction—accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total aggregate cost for hospitalizations in 2011. That is over $70 million for the top 5 conditions alone. NOTE: Source: Torio CM, Andrews RM. National Inpatient Hospital Costs: The Most Expensive Conditions by Payer, 2011: Statistical Brief #160. 2013 Aug. In: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (US); 2006 Feb-. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK169005/

So, it is in everyone’s best interest – individuals, small businesses and corporations – to join in the fight against arthritis. Arthritis accounts for the 2nd and 3rd most expensive conditions billed to private insurance. Osteoarthritis, only eclipsed by live births, is the second most expensive condition billed to private insurance, and Spondylosis [spon-dy-li-tis], which includes Ankylosing Spondylitis [an-klosing spon-dy-li-tis], is number 3. Did you notice what conditions did not make the list? Cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Osteoarthritis is also the 2nd most expensive condition for Medicare. The Arthritis Foundation is THE organization addressing all facets of arthritis – its cost to individuals and to society – and is working toward a cure while fighting arthritis pain today. Let’s look at how the Arthritis Foundation fights to change the course of the disease and the lives of people with arthritis. NOTE: Source: Torio CM, Andrews RM. National Inpatient Hospital Costs: The Most Expensive Conditions by Payer, 2011: Statistical Brief #160. 2013 Aug. In: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (US); 2006 Feb-. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK169005/

Juvenile arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases, affecting more children than cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. Despite this fact, children, like Maddox who we saw in a previous slide, do not always have access to the care they need, which can result in costly delays to diagnosis and treatment. Currently, there are fewer than 250 board-certified, practicing pediatric rheumatologists in the United States. And there are 11 states without any pediatric rheumatologists and seven with only one. Of the 250 practicing pediatric rheumatologists, about 90 percent of those are clustered in and around large cities.  Can you imagine, if there weren’t a qualified doctor to treat your child in your town, city or perhaps your entire state. In the words of a mother of two kids with JA: “Arthritis has affected our family in so many ways. The only pediatric rheumatologist lives nearly seven hours away from us in Salt Lake City. The past year and half we’ve been going down every two to four weeks. It’s been a huge financial burden on our family. We went from having one credit card with the money on it, to pretty much maxing out another credit card just so we could pay for fuel to drive to Salt Lake City. The time that we have to spend finding a babysitter, because I’m a stay-at-home parent, is hard on everyone.” The burden on families can be both financially and emotionally devastating.