Americans spent over $30 billion on complementary health approaches in 2012

An analysis of survey data found that adults and children in the United States spent $28.3 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively, out-of-pocket on complementary health approaches, according to a press release from the NIH.

Approaches included in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) included health care products, practices and systems such as herbal supplements, yoga, meditation, massage and chiropractic manipulation.

The analysis, performed by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the CDC, found that this amount represented 9.2% of out-of-pocket health care spending and 1.1% total health care spending by Americans.

“With so many Americans using and spending money on complementary health approaches, it is extremely important for us to provide the public with evidence-based information to help inform decisions,” Josephine P. Briggs, MD, director of NCCIH, said in the release. “This underscores the importance of conducting rigorous research to know whether the products and practices being used are safe and effective.”

The largest amount of out-of-pocket spending was for visits to complementary practitioners, including massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists. Americans spent $14.7 billion for these visits, which equated to an average of $433 spent per person annually, and represented nearly 30% of out-of-pocket spending on conventional physicians.

Americans also reported spending $12.8 billion on natural supplements, which equated to an average of $368 per person annually, and represented approximately 25% of out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs.

In addition, spending on self-care approaches such as self-help materials totaled $2.7 billion, which equated to an average of $257 per person annually.

Researchers also found that out-of-pocket spending on complementary health approaches and visits to complementary practitioners increased with family income levels: Families making less than $25,000 spent an average of $435 and $314, respectively and families making more than $100,000 spentan average of $590 and $518, respectively.

“We did an earlier study on cost data from the 2007 NHIS, which was not directly comparable to this one because of differences in survey design,” Richard L. Nahin, PhD, NCCIH’s lead epidemiologist and lead author of the analysis, said in the release. “However, globally, in both years, substantial numbers of Americans spent billions of dollars out-of-pocket on these approaches, an indication that users believe enough in the value of these approaches to pay for them.”