Average hospital charges for asthma treatment: United States, 1995

Asthma is a chronic condition that affects some 14 to 15 million persons in the United States and is one of the most frequent causes for hospitalizations among children as well as adults. Asthma-related morbidity and mortality rates have been increasing for more than a decade in this country as have hospital admissions and visits to doctors' offices for acute episodes of this condition. In 1995, the average total hospital plus physicians' charges for treating 3,559 group health insured hospitalized asthma patients was $5,710. The highest regional charge was reported for the Pacific area states (28 percent above the U.S. average) and the lowest in the East South Central states, where the total was 20 percent below the average and 38 percent below that in the Pacific area. Variation in charges was even more pronounced between study states. Arizona, Colorado and California had average charges from 30 to 47 percent above the U.S. average, whereas Washington, Tennessee and Ohio had averages 32 to 35 percent below. Hospital charges (room and board plus ancillary fees) accounted for 92 percent of the total charge to insurance with the per diem charge averaging $1,640. Physicians' charges were less the $500 for the country as a whole but ranged from $710 in Florida (54 percent above the average) to $260 in Michigan (43 percent below the norm). The average length of stay was 3.48 days, with patients in Washington averaging 2.92 days and those in Pennsylvania and New York 4.10.