Under the worst-case scenario, millennial health care costs could climb 33 percent compared with the prior generation. (Photo: Shutterstock)
(Bloomberg) –More millennials in the U.S. are suffering from chronic health problems, potentially restraining the lifetime economic potential of a generation of young adults. A spike in conditions like depression, hypertension and high cholesterol among younger people could increase health-care costs and lower incomes in coming years, according to a report Wednesday from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a federation of 36 independent companies that together provide coverage for 1 in 3 Americans.
Between 2014 and 2017, rates of depression among millennials surged by 31 percent, while hyperactivity rose 29 percent and hypertension increased 16 percent, according to the report. High cholesterol and tobacco-use disorder also increased.
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