Do pets contribute to healthcare savings?
We dive into a recent report examining the impact of pet ownership on the healthcare system and possible savings.
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) estimates that pet ownership saves the US healthcare system an average of $22.7 billion (€21.15B) yearly.
New research concludes that American pet owners go to the doctor less than non-pet owners, reducing annual healthcare spending by about $15 billion (€13.9B).
Pet owners also report lower levels of obesity owing to dog walks, adding an additional $4.5 billion (€4.19B) per year in savings.
The study concludes that pet owners in the US saved the healthcare system $90.47 million (€84.3M) in hospital bills. The report finds that physical interactions with pets reduce the pet owner’s susceptibility to a recurrence of illness by 14%.
HABRI’s economic report attempts to document the role of pets as contributors to public health. “This data suggests that there should be stronger societal support for keeping pets and people healthy together,” comments Steven Feldman, President of HABRI.
Anxiety and mental health
The survey sampled a number of children between ages 8–10 in households with a dog and found a 9% lower probability of them receiving a clinical diagnosis of anxiety. This accounts for $672 million (€626.2M) in annual mental health care cost savings. This figure would rise to an estimated $7.6 billion (€7B) if the sample extended to all children across the US.
Illnesses due to loneliness and social isolation among older pet owners cost the healthcare system $1.8 billion (€1.6B) less.
The research focused only on military veterans and projected $688 million (€641M) saved on treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to emotional support and service animals.