Impact of diabetes on absenteeism, disability, and medical costs in the U.S. workforce: differences by disease progression and industry

Objective: To estimate the impact of type 2 diabetes on absenteeism, disability, productivity loss, and healthcare costs, stratified by diabetes progression and industry. Methods: Using 2016–2019 Merative™ MarketScan® databases, we conducted a retrospective analysis of full-time employees: newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D-New), established type 2 diabetes (T2D-Estab), or without diabetes (T2D-Neg). Per-capita annual productivity loss and healthcare costs were estimated using two-part models adjusted for demographics, industry, and comorbidity. Results: Among 3.8 million U.S. employees, T2D-New and T2D-Estab experienced significantly higher annual productivity loss (+$373.2 and +$140.1) and healthcare costs (+$2160.9 and +$1957.7) compared with T2D-Neg (p<0.001). Total annual costs reached approximately $8,000 per employee with T2D. Patterns were consistent across industries. Conclusions: These findings highlight the workforce impact of diabetes and support the benefit of occupational health and wellness interventions.