The Health Care Costs of Extreme Heat

Image via The Center for American Progress

From The Center for American Progress:

Hot summer days have always posed a risk of health complications, but climate change is causing an increase in prolonged periods of extreme heat. With this has come a rise in incidences of heat-related illness, as more Americans experience health complications and need to seek medical care. The resulting increases in visits to physicians, visits to emergency departments, and admissions to hospitals will inflate U.S. health care costs.

To better understand the health impacts of extreme heat, the authors of this report used available data from Virginia to derive estimates of the increase in health care utilization—including emergency department visits and hospital admissions—and health care costs associated with extreme heat. Daily climate data collected from 15 weather stations that serve the state of Virginia show that during the five summers of 2016–2020, an average of 80 heat event days occurred per summer.