Climate Change, Fossil Fuel Boosts Healthcare Costs to $820B

The price of healthcare costs attributed to climate change and fossil fuel use is nearly $820 billion annually in the United States, according to multiple scientific research studies.  

Over half of the adults in the US face medical financial hardship, but most Americans shoulder some of the bills, with Medicaid and Medicare bearing the brunt of the costs. On average, $820 billion equates to $2,500 per American annually.  

These costs include doctor visits, prescriptions, emergency room visits, physical therapy, allergy treatments, mental healthcare, and premature death. Scientists also noted that downstream costs, such as long work hours and lost wages, stem from burning fossil fuels.  

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, and Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action presented this report at the annual Medical Society Consortium meeting last May.  

“In terms of financial costs related to health problems, illnesses, and injuries and premature deaths, no federal agency right now is tracking these costs,” said Vijay Limaye, an epidemiologist at the NRDC and report author.  

Limaye believes that the $820 billion is underestimated because of data uncertainties.  

For example, environmental health effects, including wildfire smoke, hurricanes, Lyme disease, heat waves, West Nile virus, and oak pollen, are worsened by climate change, which drives up healthcare costs.  

Renee Salas, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, stated that her job as an emergency medicine doctor is to protect her patients and keep them healthy. But climate change increasingly threatens her ability to do that.  

She mentioned a middle-aged man with Lyme disease that has visited the hospital at least 30 times in one year seeking relief from his symptoms. More recently, ticks are expanding their range due to climate change.  

Additionally, Salas has seen a four-year-old girl whose mother brought her to the emergency room for her third asthma attack that week. Climate-intensified pollen and air pollution worsened the child’s condition.   

But these emergency room visits can be avoided if Americans take action. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study, wind energy saved thousands of people from premature death between 2007 and 2015. 

Therefore, building more bike paths and sidewalks and releasing fleets of zero-emission buses and trains could reduce air pollution and boost health. Additionally, folding climate into disaster response will help medical providers care for victims of floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.   

“We face a choice: continue down this dead-end path of inaction and soaring healthcare bills or make smart investments now in cost-effective solutions that will prevent millions of people in our country — especially the most vulnerable — from suffering injuries, illness, and premature death. The time to act is now,” Limaye concluded.