The number of people in the U.S. who are affected by asthma increased by 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, which was released yesterday to coincide with World Asthma Day, also noted that the cost of care for asthma grew along with the number of cases. This figure increased by $3 billion between 2002 and 2007, which shows a 6 percent spike.

Because asthma is a lifelong disease, an affected person will have to learn how to manage both care and cost for their condition by working closely with healthcare professionals and their health insurance company. CDC director Thomas R. Frieden stressed that education is essential to managing the condition.

"We have to do a better job educating people about managing their symptoms and how to correctly use medicines to control asthma, so they can live longer more productive lives while saving health care costs," said Dr. Frieden.

Unfortunately, many health insurance companies do not cover all of the services that are recommended for those who suffer from asthma. This leads many to a difficult decision between paying out-of-pocket for appropriate care or abstaining from treatment altogether.