During 2016-17, the U.S. spent an annual average total of $5.2 billion on influenza treatments, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The report analyzed healthcare use and expenditure during the 2016-17 flu season.
It shows that an annual average of 2.7 percent of the U.S. civilian population received some treatment for flu. There were approximately 3.1 million children and 5.7 million adults treated for the flu on average per year during the two-year period.
Of all the people treated for the flu, an annual average of 78.6 percent had at least one ambulatory visit, 63.8 percent had at least one prescribed medicine fill and 11.8 percent had at least one emergency room visit.
The annual mean expenses per person to treat the flu was $312 for ambulatory visits, $119 for prescribed medicines and $840 for emergency room visits. The overall annual mean expense across all services was $587 per person.
Expenditures include payments from all sources — private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, out-of-pocket and miscellaneous — for flu-related care.