OBJECTIVES: Based on a previous study (2008), the direct incremental medical cost associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was $73.4 billion, equivalent to 0.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Therefore, using the most up-to-date data, this study investigates the direct medical cost and productivity losses attributable to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: This is a pooled cross-sectional study that used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data for years 2010 - 2013. We identified RA patients using the clinical classification code – '202'. We measured direct medical cost as total annual healthcare expenditure by individuals in MEPS. Impact on productivity was measured as wage income loss and days absent from work (absenteeism). The study aims were analyzed using log-linear regression. Estimates were weighted to account for complex survey design.  RESULTS: The prevalence of RA in the U.S is 1.94% (24.2 million) with 70.5% females and 47.8% belonging to the age group of 45 – 65 years. Mean total healthcare expenditure among RA versus non-RA was $ 12,203 (± 20,771) and $3,237 (± 12,598) respectively. Mean wage earned was $10,984 (± 22,409) and $16,844 (±28,563) while mean absenteeism was 9.5 days (±22.5) and 3.8 days (±13.6) respectively among patients with versus without RA. A 72% increase in direct medical expenditure (p<0.0001) was observed among patients with versus without RA, after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and health status. In addition to above variables, after adjusting for education, occupation and mental health status, 3.6% wage income loss (p<0.0001) and 17.8% increase in absenteeism (p<0.0001) was noted among patients with versus without RA. CONCLUSIONS: RA has a substantial impact on both direct medical costs and productivity as measured in the current study. Further studies will assess the economic consequences attributable to RA overtime and the explore impact of RA treatment regimens on productivity and physical function.