The economic cost of illness in the Federal Republic of Germany in the year 1980.

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the economic cost of illness, disability and premature death in the Federal Republic of Germany in the year 1980. Direct and indirect cost of morbidity and mortality are estimated and allocated to the disease categories of the ICD-International Classification of Diseases. Against the background of increasingly scarce resources in health care, the findings of cost of illness studies obtain special significance for the setting of priorities for the allocation of these resources. In comparison to the status quo, a disease-oriented approach may provide a more differentiated and national basis for the ex-ante macro-allocation of health care resources as well as for the identification of areas for increased efforts in prevention.