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Economic Impact

The Economic Impact of Parkinson’s Disease

The annual economic impact of Parkinson’s disease in the United States is estimated to be around $10.8 billion and growing.

According to the American Journal of Managed Care, the annual economic impact of Parkinson’s disease in the United States is around $10.8 billion, including both direct medical expenses and indirect costs such as lost income, disability payments and medical costs.

The financial burden of Parkinson’s disease on individuals and their families is immense. Drugs commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease can cost up to $6,000 per year per patient.  Surgical treatments for Parkinson’s disease can cost $25,000 or more. As the disease progresses, institutional care at an assisted-living facility or nursing home may be required and these costs can exceed $100,000, per person annually.

The mental and emotional cost of PD on patients, families and friends cannot be quantified. What is clear is that investment in medical research that leads to better treatments for Parkinson’s disease can save millions of dollars each year. Studies have indicated that for every dollar spent on high quality research $13 could be saved in direct and indirect costs. If new therapies could be found that could produce even a modest ten percent delay in the progression of Parkinson’s disease, hundreds of millions of dollars could be saved every year.

Despite these prospects, Parkinson’s disease continues to receive far less federal research support than most other disorders. Privately funded research must fill these huge gaps in federal funding.

At the Michael Stern Parkinson’s Research Foundation, over $0.95 of every dollar goes directly to our doctors and scientists. Your generosity will make a tremendous difference for the millions of people affected by Parkinson’s disease.