This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The health care costs of healthy Utahns are seven times less than residents with chronic or acute diseases.
From birth to the brink of senior citizen status, Utahns who are free of chronic diseases but who seek preventive care or help with an occasional illness cost health insurers $385 a year in claims.
That's compared to the $2,768 spent per year on Utahns with health problems, according to a new Utah Department of Health report released Wednesday.
The report examines commercial health insurance claims of 900,000 Utahns from birth to age 64 in 2009. It includes the average cost of preventive care, such as immunizations and cancer screens.
The goal is to increase transparency of health care costs.
"The consumer is going to need to be more informed of what these things cost as decision-making responsibilities fall on their shoulders," said report author Mark Gaskill, noting that more consumers may seek high-deductible plans under health care reform.
Data from the report showing that colon cancer screens cost $580 and breast cancer screens $202 could help consumers choose their plans.
Under federal health care reform, private insurance plans must now cover preventive services without charging co-payments.
So who are the healthy Utahns?
Most children are well: 68 percent of insured children up to age 15 are considered healthy. The percentage drops with age, so that by the 60s, just 11 percent of Utahns are healthy.
But that doesn't mean children are cheap. Kids from birth to age 4 are the most expensive to cover costing $800 a year on average in medical and pharmacy claims. The first year of life is even more expensive: $1,800.
That likely is due to routine well-child checks, immunizations and visits for colds and infections. For example, it costs $810 to immunize a child in the first year.
Read full report
O To view the full report, called Making Cents of Utah's Healthy Population, go to http://www.utahatlas.health.utah.gov.