Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAverage Cost of TreatmentTypes of TreatmentsManaging the Cost of MS TreatmentWhat to ExpectFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Average Cost of Treatment
Types of Treatments
Managing the Cost of MS Treatment
What to Expect
Frequently Asked Questions
This article covers the costs of treating MS including medical and nonmedical treatments, managing these costs, and what to expect.
RealPeopleGroup / Getty Images
The Average Cost of MS Treatment
The average cost of MS treatment has increased over the past two decades. A 2015 review ofdisease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for patients with MSfound medications that originally cost a person around $8,000 to $11,000 now cost around $60,000 per year.
The average cost of MS treatment has increased, with newer DMTs entering the prescription drug market. For example, newer DMTs commonly entered the market with a cost of 25–60% higher than existing DMTs. These costs, and therefore the cost of MS treatment, are around two to three times higher in the United States than in comparable countries.
That estimate doesn’t include the non-DMT costs of living with MS, such as the costs of managing a lifelong illness and transportation to healthcare providers. A 2022 study suggests the average cost of MS treatment in the U.S. is now around $88,487 per year.
Types of MS Treatments
There are two types ofMS treatmentsand associated costs: direct treatment costs and indirect costs. These costs will vary depending on health insurance coverage and personal daily needs.
Direct Treatment
Direct treatment refers to doctor’s appointments and medications. Medications like DMTs may be prescribed as injections, oral therapies, andIV infusions. Direct treatment carries the biggest cost burden. A person with MS pays an estimated $65,000 more in medical costs per year than someone without MS.
Indirect Treatment
Indirect treatment costs and nonmedical costs are all the other costs associated with managing a lifelong illness like MS.
Indirect treatment costs refer to things like:
As a patient, managing the cost of MS on your own can be particularly difficult. Finding a cost-conscious healthcare provider may be helpful because there are several ways they can help you manage treatment costs. In a 2016 article on cost-containment strategies for MS treatment, researchers proposed five options.
You may want to consider sharing this list of cost-containment strategies with your healthcare provider and discussing your options.
What if You Can’t Afford a Certain MS Treatment?As a patient or caregiver, the best approach for managing the cost of MS treatment is to bring it up with your healthcare provider and share any concerns you may have about affordability. They may have alternative options to provide. You may also consider talking to your insurance provider about coverage options better suited to your personal needs.
What if You Can’t Afford a Certain MS Treatment?
As a patient or caregiver, the best approach for managing the cost of MS treatment is to bring it up with your healthcare provider and share any concerns you may have about affordability. They may have alternative options to provide. You may also consider talking to your insurance provider about coverage options better suited to your personal needs.
The good news is that MS treatments are evolving and improving, showing greater tolerability and decreased adverse reactions.But the reality of the situation is that these newer DMTs are even more costly than before, and there is still no cure for MS.
Summary
Living with MS is expensive. There are costs associated with direct treatment, which include doctor’s appointments and prescription medications to slow the disease’s progression. There are also the indirect costs and nonmedical costs of everyday living with MS, such as having to retire early and modify your home for accessibility purposes. Managing costs begins with a discussion with your healthcare provider and insurance company. Regardless, you can expect MS treatment to be expensive.
A Word From Verywell
If you have MS, bear in mind that the cost of treatment is not your fault, and an inability to cover all your medical costs on your own does not make you a burden. Though it is expensive, there are ways to manage costs. You aren’t alone in dealing with MS. You can find support at your localchapter of the National MS Society.
Yes. Treatment for MS is expensive. The average cost of treatment per year is estimated at around $88,487. This includes both direct treatment costs like prescription medications and doctor’s appointments and nonmedical costs. People with MS pay around $65,000 more per year in medical costs than people without MS.
Learn MoreThe Anatomy of the Myelin Sheath
Estimates vary depending on factors such as health insurance coverage and each patient’s exact needs. One estimate from 2022 shows the average yearly cost of MS treatment to be as high as $88,487.This cost includes direct treatment like doctor’s appointments and medications and also the nonmedical costs of everyday living with MS.Learn MoreA Guide to Multiple Sclerosis Medications
Estimates vary depending on factors such as health insurance coverage and each patient’s exact needs. One estimate from 2022 shows the average yearly cost of MS treatment to be as high as $88,487.This cost includes direct treatment like doctor’s appointments and medications and also the nonmedical costs of everyday living with MS.
Learn MoreA Guide to Multiple Sclerosis Medications
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medline Plus.Multiple sclerosis.Hartung DM, Bourdette DN, Ahmed SM, Whitham RH.The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail?Neurology.2015 May;84(21):2185-92. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608.Bebo B, Cintina I, LaRocca N, Ritter L, Talente B, Hartung D, Ngorsuraches S, Wallin M, Yang G.The economic burden of multiple sclerosis in the United States estimates direct and indirect costs.Neurology. 2022 May;98(18):e1810-e1817. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000200150.Jones KH, Ford DV, Jones PA, et al.A large-scale study of anxiety and depression in people with Multiple Sclerosis: a survey via the web portal of the UK MS Register.PLoS One.2012;7(7):e41910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041910Kister I, Corboy JR.Reducing costs while enhancing quality of care in MS.Neurology. 2016 Oct;87(15):1617-1622. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003113Ney JP, Johnson B, Knabel T, Craft K, Kaufman J.Neurologist ambulatory care, health care utilization, and costs in a large commercial dataset.Neurology. 2016 Jan;86(4):367-374. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002276Dargahi N, Katsara M, Tselios T, et al.Multiple sclerosis: Immunopathology and treatment update.Brain Sci. 2017;7(12):78. doi:10.3390/brainsci7070078
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medline Plus.Multiple sclerosis.Hartung DM, Bourdette DN, Ahmed SM, Whitham RH.The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail?Neurology.2015 May;84(21):2185-92. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608.Bebo B, Cintina I, LaRocca N, Ritter L, Talente B, Hartung D, Ngorsuraches S, Wallin M, Yang G.The economic burden of multiple sclerosis in the United States estimates direct and indirect costs.Neurology. 2022 May;98(18):e1810-e1817. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000200150.Jones KH, Ford DV, Jones PA, et al.A large-scale study of anxiety and depression in people with Multiple Sclerosis: a survey via the web portal of the UK MS Register.PLoS One.2012;7(7):e41910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041910Kister I, Corboy JR.Reducing costs while enhancing quality of care in MS.Neurology. 2016 Oct;87(15):1617-1622. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003113Ney JP, Johnson B, Knabel T, Craft K, Kaufman J.Neurologist ambulatory care, health care utilization, and costs in a large commercial dataset.Neurology. 2016 Jan;86(4):367-374. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002276Dargahi N, Katsara M, Tselios T, et al.Multiple sclerosis: Immunopathology and treatment update.Brain Sci. 2017;7(12):78. doi:10.3390/brainsci7070078
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Medline Plus.Multiple sclerosis.Hartung DM, Bourdette DN, Ahmed SM, Whitham RH.The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail?Neurology.2015 May;84(21):2185-92. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608.Bebo B, Cintina I, LaRocca N, Ritter L, Talente B, Hartung D, Ngorsuraches S, Wallin M, Yang G.The economic burden of multiple sclerosis in the United States estimates direct and indirect costs.Neurology. 2022 May;98(18):e1810-e1817. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000200150.Jones KH, Ford DV, Jones PA, et al.A large-scale study of anxiety and depression in people with Multiple Sclerosis: a survey via the web portal of the UK MS Register.PLoS One.2012;7(7):e41910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041910Kister I, Corboy JR.Reducing costs while enhancing quality of care in MS.Neurology. 2016 Oct;87(15):1617-1622. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003113Ney JP, Johnson B, Knabel T, Craft K, Kaufman J.Neurologist ambulatory care, health care utilization, and costs in a large commercial dataset.Neurology. 2016 Jan;86(4):367-374. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002276Dargahi N, Katsara M, Tselios T, et al.Multiple sclerosis: Immunopathology and treatment update.Brain Sci. 2017;7(12):78. doi:10.3390/brainsci7070078
Medline Plus.Multiple sclerosis.
Hartung DM, Bourdette DN, Ahmed SM, Whitham RH.The cost of multiple sclerosis drugs in the US and the pharmaceutical industry: Too big to fail?Neurology.2015 May;84(21):2185-92. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000001608.
Bebo B, Cintina I, LaRocca N, Ritter L, Talente B, Hartung D, Ngorsuraches S, Wallin M, Yang G.The economic burden of multiple sclerosis in the United States estimates direct and indirect costs.Neurology. 2022 May;98(18):e1810-e1817. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000200150.
Jones KH, Ford DV, Jones PA, et al.A large-scale study of anxiety and depression in people with Multiple Sclerosis: a survey via the web portal of the UK MS Register.PLoS One.2012;7(7):e41910. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041910
Kister I, Corboy JR.Reducing costs while enhancing quality of care in MS.Neurology. 2016 Oct;87(15):1617-1622. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003113
Ney JP, Johnson B, Knabel T, Craft K, Kaufman J.Neurologist ambulatory care, health care utilization, and costs in a large commercial dataset.Neurology. 2016 Jan;86(4):367-374. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002276
Dargahi N, Katsara M, Tselios T, et al.Multiple sclerosis: Immunopathology and treatment update.Brain Sci. 2017;7(12):78. doi:10.3390/brainsci7070078
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
