The Nation : High Cost of Heart Disease

Treatment of heart and circulatory disease, the country’s main cause of death, will cost an estimated $78.6 billion this year, the American Heart Assn. reported at a science writers’ forum in Sarasota, Fla. The estimate equals about $325 for every person in the country. The costs include $48.2 billion for hospital and nursing home services, $13.6 billion for lost work time due to disability, $11.8 billion for doctor bills and $5 billion for medicines. Dr. Thomas J. Ryan, association president, said some of the costs might be reduced if physicians would be more discriminating in their use of medical technology.