Direct health expenditure attributed to COPD in Australia was $560 million in the 2004–05 financial year, amounting to 1% of the total direct expenditure on diseases.
The greatest proportion of expenditure was due to hospital costs for admitted COPD patients.
The expenditure consisted of:
- 60% admitted patient costs (a)
- 26% prescription medicines (b)
- 13% out-of-hospital costs
- 2% research funding
(a) Includes public and private acute hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals. Includes medical services provided to private admitted patients in hospital.
(b) Includes all medicines for which a prescription is needed, including benefit-paid prescriptions, private prescriptions and under-copayment prescriptions. Prescription medicines include expenditure on cor pulmonale (right heart failure due to lung disease) (approx. 0.5%).
Source: AIHW disease expenditure database as at December 2008.
There is more expenditure on males than females. For example, in the 75–84 years age group $111 million was spent on males compared with $81 million on females.
Source tables
Table 1: Direct expenditure allocated to COPD by type of expenditure, 2004–05
|
$ millions |
Per cent |
| Admitted patient costs (a) |
334 |
60% |
| Prescription medicines (b) |
144 |
26% |
| Out-of-hospital medical services |
71 |
13% |
| Research |
11 |
2% |
| Total |
560 |
100% |
(a) Includes public and private acute hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals. Includes medical services provided to private admitted patients in hospital.
(b) Includes all medicines for which a prescription is needed, including benefit-paid prescriptions, private prescriptions and under-copayment prescriptions. Prescription medicines include expenditure on cor pulmonale (right heart failure due to lung disease ) (approx. 0.5%).
Source: AIHW disease expenditure database as at December 2008.
Table 2: Direct expenditure allocated to COPD, by age, sex and area of health expenditure, 2004–05, ($ millions)
| Age |
Males |
|
Females |
| Admitted patients (a) |
Prescription medicines (b) |
Out-of-hospital medical services |
Admitted patients (a) |
Prescription medicines (b) |
Out-of-hospital medical services |
| 0–4 |
0.218 |
0.160 |
0.004 |
|
0.104 |
0.071 |
0.012 |
| 5–14 |
0.128 |
0.429 |
0.041 |
|
0.173 |
0.174 |
0.019 |
| 15–24 |
0.239 |
0.186 |
0.042 |
|
0.313 |
0.164 |
0.167 |
| 25–34 |
0.406 |
0.385 |
0.731 |
|
0.484 |
0.391 |
0.063 |
| 35–44 |
1.572 |
1.279 |
1.081 |
|
2.092 |
1.328 |
1.070 |
| 45–54 |
7.270 |
5.900 |
2.817 |
|
10.090 |
4.504 |
2.218 |
| 55–64 |
24.183 |
15.469 |
10.915 |
|
26.032 |
12.414 |
6.939 |
| 65–74 |
53.801 |
27.391 |
12.425 |
|
42.973 |
16.468 |
9.019 |
| 75–84 |
73.360 |
25.130 |
12.532 |
|
51.577 |
21.036 |
8.459 |
| 85+ |
20.892 |
5.691 |
1.342 |
|
17.843 |
5.112 |
1.403 |
| Total |
182.069 |
82.020 |
41.930 |
|
151.681 |
61.662 |
29.369 |
(a) Includes public and private acute hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals. Includes medical services provided to private admitted patients in hospital.
(b) Includes all medicines for which a prescription is needed, including benefit-paid prescriptions, private prescriptions and under-copayment prescriptions. Prescription medicines include expenditure on cor pulmonale (approx. 0.5%).
Source: AIHW disease expenditure database as at December 2008.