Long Term Care Insurance Risk Faced By 55 Million With High Blood Pressure

One-quarter of American adults receive treatment for high blood pressure.

New research reported by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reveals that of the estimated 55.1 million people with high blood pressure, 29 percent were black patients and 25 percent were white adults. Among others treated for high blood pressure, 15 percent were Hispanics and 20 percent were other races.

Total costs for treatment of high blood pressure amount to over $47 billion, including $21.3 billion for prescription drugs, $13 billion on doctor visits and an additional $13 billion spent on hospitalizations, emergency room visits and home health care.

Most people treated for high blood pressure are age 65 or older. This age group accounted for nearly 60 percent of reported treatments. Meanwhile, patients ranging in age from 45 to 64 accounted for about 32 percenhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift of reported treatments and those between the ages of 18 and 44 were just 5 percent.

The federal agency noted that 25 percent of women received treatment for high blood pressure compared to 23 percent of men.

According to Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, high blood pressure is a treatable condition but also connected with a higher risk of needing long term health care and thus creating a greater risk of utilizing long-term care insurance.

“With more Americans living into their 80s and beyond, having a long term care plan in place is more important than ever,” declares Slome. “Most people wait too long to consider their options because the right time to plan is prior to turning age 65 before medical conditions like high blood pressure are diagnosed or become problematic.”