Multiple sclerosis impacts U.S. Economy $20 billion a year, and impacts the Federal Government $3.6 billion a year which includes a miniscule 2.6% to find a cure

(c) 2001, Mike Barkley
    From: "Mike Barkley" mjbarkl@comcast.net
    To: "Terence Keane" terence.keane@can.nmss.org
    
    Subject: Re: Federal investment in MS research
    Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 05:21:30 -0800
    
    Hello, you responded,
     
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    > From: "Terence Keane" terence.keane@can.nmss.org
    > To: "'Mike Barkley'" mjbarkl@comcast.net
    > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 12:30 PM
    > Subject: RE: Federal investment in MS research
    >
    > Dear Mr. Barkley:
    >
    > I'm afraid I do not know all of the figures you're seeking. I have attached
    > information on a 1998 study that calculated the annual economic costs of MS
    > exceeding $9 billion. As you will see from the attached document
    > adjusting these figures for inflation, the cost now exceeds $20 billion.
    > 
    > You may also wish to review the following document on healthcare costs:  
    > 
    >  http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research-2002Jan11.asp
    > 
    . . .
    > << Whetten-Goldstein, K et al, 1998.pdf >> 
     
    Thank you for the information and the attachments.  The Research-2002Jan11.asp
    page is just a summary, right?  Is the study itself online somewhere?
     
    The $20 billion seems to be ultimately based on the Whetten study, right?
    I skimmed through that attachment and while I find "wages", I don't find 
    "benefits" or any suggestion that they were or were not included in "wages".
    Could you enquire?  I also suspect that Whetten didn't include a "lost 
    outside income opportunity" amount, although I didn't either - for instance,
    although my wife can barely hold the telephone up to her ear and is losing
    the ability to sign her name and never made much money working for others
    because MS has damaged her since early high school, she is a self-made 
    real estate multimillionaire though MS fatigue has since shoved nearly all 
    of that "outside income" effort off onto me.  
     
    I was surprised at how close my $19 billion came to the
    Society's number - I have some skills in this, CPA/Attorney/Investor/etc.,
    but of course my numbers were based on my own knowledge and 
    anecdotal information rather than rigorous scientific examination....
     
    I had suggested an annual cost to the Federal Government:
     
    Based on (I know you're using 400,000, but I'm guessing that 100,000 of those are not
    materially hampered by their MS - am I mistaken?),
     
      $9,000,000,000 - Annual loss of productivity @ $30,000 (income/benefits), 300,000 people
       4,500,000,000 - Annual loss of productivity 150,000 additional family members
       6,000,000,000 - Annual medical costs at $20,000 
          50,000,000 - Unpaid debts/bankruptcy losses, $50,000 for 1000 people 
          50,000,000 - Premature life/disability payments, $50,000 for 1000 people
     ---------------
     $19,600,000,000 - Total annual impact on U.S. Economy
     ===============
    
    U.S. Government share - could be less (could be more):
     
      $1,200,000,000 - income tax/payroll tax lost on victims at $5,000
         600,000,000 - income tax/payroll tax lost on 1 family member
          10,000,000 - income tax lost on bad debts
          10,000,000 - income tax lost on premature insurance payments
           5,000,000 - Federal unemployment, 1,000 people at $5,000/year
       1,200,000,000 - Federal SSI/SSDI/Retirement on 100,000 people at $1,000/month
         500,000,000 - Federal medical costs on 100,000 people at $5,000/year
     
          95,300,000 - Annual U.S. Government spending on a cure ( For Fiscal
                         Year 2003, the federally funded National Institutes
                         of Health will spend $95.3 million on multiple sclerosis
                         research.) 
      --------------
      $3,620,300,000 - Total annual cost to U.S. Government
      ==============
     
    With the Feds spending on a cure about 2.6 % of their annual cost, what kind of idiots
    spend 97.4 % on a problem and 2.6 % on a solution for the problem?  
     
    I seems to me that it's crucial to effective lobbying for NIH funds that the 
    Feds know how much they're wasting on this disease (assuming they wouldn't 
    use the numbers to cut benefits rather than find a cure, of course.  Sheesh!).
    Is there anyone in the NMSS group taking this approach in the lobbying?  Other
    disease organizations should be doing that as well, collectively, "in union 
    there is strength" and all that....
     
    Thank you for your consideration, and all the best,
     
       --Mike Barkley, 161 N. Sheridan Ave. #1, Manteca, CA 95336 (H) 209/823-4817
                                    mjbarkl@inreach.com
          $87,000,000,000 to cure Iraq - a pittance to cure Multiple Sclerosis.
    
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--Mike Barkley, 161 N. Sheridan Ave. #1, Manteca, CA 95336 (H) 209/823-4817
mjbarkl@inreach.com
No more excuses! - Cure Multiple Sclerosis now!