Migraine Affects Health Care Costs and Lost Productivity in Employed US Adults
Employers that offer healthcare benefits, paid sick days, and disability insurance benefits will spend about $84,000 in annual migraine-related costs for every 1000 employees.
In addition to the medical costs associated with migraine, employers also bear costs due to lost productivity. Employers that offer healthcare benefits, paid sick days, and disability insurance benefits will spend about $84,000 in annual migraine-related costs for every 1000 employees, of which nearly one-third is attributable to lost work time, according to a report from Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI).
Between 2011 and 2015, 14% of employed US adults reported having migraine in the prior 3 months. Women were more than twice as likely to report migraine (20% vs 9%). Prior studies have suggested that women may be more susceptible to migraine due to the way that fluctuations in estrogen levels affect cells in the brain.
Researchers collected data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey on healthcare costs and illness absences, data from IBI’s Health and Productivity Benchmarking System for short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) outcomes, and US Bureau of Labor Statistics information on wages and benefits.
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