09.01.09
Americans spent almost $34 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) during a 12-month period, according to a 2007 government survey.
The U.S. government defines CAM as a group of diverse medical and healthcare 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% of total healthcare expenditures ($2 trillion) and 11% of total out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket: $287 billion and CAM out-of-pocket: $34 billion) on healthcare in the U.S.
Approximately 38% 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). 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), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 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 Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM. “This underscores the importance of conducting rigorous research and providing evidence-based information on CAM so that healthcare providers and the public can make well-informed decisions.”
Of the $34 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22 billion was spent on self-care costs—CAM products, classes and materials—with the majority going to the purchase of non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products ($15 billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and echinacea. U.S. adults also spent approximately $12 billion on an estimated 354 million visits to CAM practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists.
To put these figures in context, the $15 billion spent on non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $12 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 Nahin, PhD, 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 healthcare spending in the U.S., they constitute a substantial part of out-of-pocket healthcare costs.”
The U.S. government defines CAM as a group of diverse medical and healthcare 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% of total healthcare expenditures ($2 trillion) and 11% of total out-of-pocket expenditures (conventional out-of-pocket: $287 billion and CAM out-of-pocket: $34 billion) on healthcare in the U.S.
Approximately 38% 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). 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), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 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 Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM. “This underscores the importance of conducting rigorous research and providing evidence-based information on CAM so that healthcare providers and the public can make well-informed decisions.”
Of the $34 billion spent on CAM out-of-pocket, an estimated $22 billion was spent on self-care costs—CAM products, classes and materials—with the majority going to the purchase of non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products ($15 billion) such as fish oil, glucosamine and echinacea. U.S. adults also spent approximately $12 billion on an estimated 354 million visits to CAM practitioners such as acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists.
To put these figures in context, the $15 billion spent on non-vitamin, non-mineral, natural products is equivalent to approximately one-third of total out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs, and the $12 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 Nahin, PhD, 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 healthcare spending in the U.S., they constitute a substantial part of out-of-pocket healthcare costs.”