Chronic diseases driving hikes in health spending.

Fifteen medical conditions, most notably chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, accounted for more than half of the $314 billion increase in healthcare spending in the United States between 1987 and 2000, according to a study published in the August 25 edition of Health Affairs, a healthcare policy journal.

The study noted that the factors driving higher costs differed for each condition. For example, increased spending on heart disease reflected mainly higher costs for technology and drugs, whereas higher spending on mental disorders resulted largely from an increase in the number of people being diagnosed with these conditions.

Diabetes spending also increased largely because of more diagnoses, though methods of detection have changed little in the past 15 years. The rise in diabetes diagnoses reflects the dramatic hike in obesity, which is now considered a significant public health problem in the United States.