Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here

take action
For every $1 states spend dollar sign on substance misuse and addiction, 94 cents go to shovel up the consequences instead of for treatment and prevention. TELL YOUR LEGISLATORS

What Can I Do?



Continuing Education
Free online courses for addiction counselors LEARN ONLINE

Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP

 

Alcohol Costs Community Hospitals $2 Billion Yearly
May 5, 2006

Share Share Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
News Summary

Treating alcohol addiction and related disorders cost community hospitals about $2 billion last year, according to a report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Medical News Today reported May 3 that the study found that U.S. community hospitals treated roughly 210,000 people for alcohol dependence, of whom 25 percent were Medicaid patients, 21 percent were uninsured, 13 percent were Medicare patients, and 34 percent had private insurance.

Alcohol-related problems were the fourth-leading reason for hospitalization of uninsured patients.

The hospitals also treated more than one million other patients who were diagnosed with alcohol-related disorders but were seeking care for other problems.

Of those admitted for alcohol problems, 65 percent had a co-occurring disorder involving illicit drugs, 34.4 percent had a co-occurring mood disorder, 11.5 percent had alcohol-related liver diseases, and 8.7 percent had an anxiety disorder.

Nationwide Inpatient Sample draws data from all U.S. short-term, nonfederal hospitals. 

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:
(Comments now appear first to last)

Your Turn! Post a public comment (guidelines):

Name:

Comment:
(limit 250
words)

Enter this word
(help):
Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for everyone, please:

  1. Keep it clean, courteous, brief, and on-topic. Comments are for discussion of the above article, not general rants or manifestos. Serial comments intended to circumvent the 250-word limit may be deleted.

  2. Do not post promotional web links, personal information or requests for assistance (get help).

  3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercial posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.