What is the financial cost of CFS?

Based on the epidemiological study done by the research team in Sydney, it has been estimated by Dr Lloyd (in another paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia) that CFS costs the Australian community a minimum of $59 million per year (1988/89 dollars), including a minimum cost to the Federal government of $26 million per year (1988/89 dollars). Using the consumer price index (CPI), these figures can be inflated up to give the minimum costs as at the end of 1995. The cost to the community then becomes $75.5 million per year (1995 dollars), and the cost to the Federal government becomes $33.3 million per year (1995 dollars).

This is probably a substantial under-estimate of minimum current costs, since while the CPI rose approximately 28% from 1988/89 to the end of 1995, the more relevant Health and Personal Care Index rose over 50% in the same period. Both these indices are compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.