Research
New Study Reveals
$52-Billion Annual
Economic Burden of
Parkinson’s
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ability to participate in the
labor market.
The study also revealed that
the federal government spends
nearly $25 billion each year
in caring for people with
Parkinson’s. About $2 billion
of that is shouldered by Social
Security and the remaining
$23 billion is in Medicare
costs since nearly 90 percent
of people with PD are on
Medicare.
“In addition to the rising
costs of medications and
healthcare, there are a lot of
‘surprise’ costs when you have
Parkinson’s disease,” said Steve
DeWitte, a Parkinson’s research
advocate from New Preston,
Connecticut. “I had to leave
the workforce 15 years earlier
than I’d planned and went from
two incomes to one,” he added.
“It’s also stressful dealing
with having limited ‘on’ time
and needing to pay people to
do things you can’t anymore,
like mowing the lawn. Having
Parkinson’s is expensive and
a burden on our everyday way
of life. Depression, anxiety,
and stress aren’t good for
anyone, and they’re particularly
debilitating when you add it to
having Parkinson’s.”
So, what does this new
information mean for the
Parkinson’s community? How
can it help people living with
PD?
“Having Parkinson’s
is expensive and
a burden on our
everyday way of life.”
— Steve DeWitte,
Parkinson’s research advocate
Our policy team in Washington,
D.C. and advocates on the
ground now have more concrete
data to educate and urge
policymakers to prioritize
biomedical research investment
and create PD-supportive
initiatives.
“These new numbers paint a
more complete picture of the
impact of Parkinson’s, and this
data will help facilitate more
productive conversations with
members of Congress who
oversee federal programs that
affect the lives of people with
PD,” said Ted Thompson, JD,
MJFF senior vice president for
public policy. “It’s economics,”
he added. “Investing more
in research toward better
treatments and a cure will
ultimately relieve the burden on
already-strained programs like
Medicare, Medicaid and Social
Security.”
MJFF is conducting additional
analyses to explore how
these insights can inform our
research policy priorities, as
well as future public policy
initiatives related to the
economic burden of PD. Part of
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The Fox Focus
this work involves developing
a project model to assess how
certain possibilities, such as
a ban of chemicals associated
with PD or FDA approval of a
disease-modifying treatment,
would impact economic burden.
The Parkinson’s Foundation
senior vice president and chief
scientific officer, Dr. Jim Beck,
added, “Having this level of
data about indirect costs will
help us better serve the PD
community when it comes to
the support areas families living
with PD are most concerned
about.”
“The findings of this study
help underscore the burden of
PD in the U.S. and potential
impact of policy or treatment
interventions,” said Thompson.
“With the congressional
summer recess approaching in
August, we welcome the voices
from our advocacy community
in sharing with elected officials
the financial impact PD has had
in their lives, and why there
is a need for research funding
toward a cure.”