Chronic disease has grown to be a primary focus of U.S. health policy due to its scale and severity, with the Department of Health and Human Services placing this issue at the center of its agenda. In a new primer, Health Care Data Analyst Parth Dahima examines the prevalence and morbidity of chronic diseases and how their growing clinical burden and treatment complexity account for a substantial share of U.S. health care spending.

He concludes:

Chronic disease remains a persistent and consequential challenge facing the U.S. health care system, driving both mortality and long-term care needs. As of 2023, nearly 60 percent of American adults live with at least one chronic condition, and the number of individuals with chronic illness is projected to nearly double by 2050. Conditions such as heart disease and cancer have consistently ranked as the leading causes of death, while others such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and kidney disease continue to grow in prevalence and complexity. Although reported growth in chronic diseases may reflect factors beyond an absolute increase, given chronic disease’s clinical burden and fiscal impact chronic diseases are likely to remain a central focus of U.S. health policy for the foreseeable future.

Read the analysis