The number of COPD cases in the United States is rising, and the U.S. Congress needs to advance the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform, or SOAR Act, to ensure that everyone who needs oxygen has access to the right type and levels of oxygen to allow them to live normal and active lives.
That’s according to the American Lung Association’s latest COPD Trends Brief, which says that COPD now affects more than 11.7 million adults and accounts for hundreds of thousands of emergency department visits and tens of billions in health care costs each year.
ALA Chief Mission Officer Deb Brown said more than 1.5 million people with COPD need supplemental oxygen, but too many people face challenges in getting the right type and levels of oxygen.
The SOAR Act, introduced in February by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), would establish a new payment methodology for non-liquid oxygen, allowing for most Medicare beneficiaries to be covered under the base payment levels.
Other notable findings in the COPD Trends brief include:
- After remaining relatively flat for close to 20 years, the COPD death rate among women has decreased 15% since 2017.
- The medical cost of COPD is $24 billion each year, or more than $4,300 per patient each year, on average.
- ER visits and hospitalizations for COPD plummeted in 2020, presumably due to COVID-19 and limited capacity in healthcare facilities.
