Blue Cross and Blue Shield launched the BCBS Health Index to measure health in almost every American county, identifying the top conditions affecting the commercially insured and the conditions' relation to community economic well-being.
The index includes data from more than 40 million BCBS members. It quantifies how more than 200 diseases affect a population's overall health by generating a county-specific measure between 0 and 1.
A Moody's Analytics analysis of the BCBS Health Index found a link between healthy individuals and a healthy economy. Counties in the top 10 percent of BCBS' index saw a $3,700 increase in per capita income, a 3.5 percent higher economic growth rate over a decade and a half point lower unemployment rate compared to counties with a median BCBS Health Index measure.
The top five conditions affecting the commercially insured nationally are:
- Depression, anxiety and other mood disorders
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Substance use disorders