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Health Care Reform | Disease Prevention and Wellness
Advocacy Health on the Hill

Disease Prevention and Wellness

Chronic disease not only affects health and quality of life, but is also a major driver of health care and thus health insurance costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic disease accounts for about 75 percent of the nation's aggregate health care spending - or about $5,300 per person in the U.S. each year. In taxpayer-funded programs, treatment of chronic disease constitutes an even larger proportion of spending - 96 cents per dollar for Medicare and 83 cents per dollar for Medicaid.

The CDC estimates that eliminating three risk factors – poor diet, inactivity, and smoking – would prevent:

  • 80% of heart disease and stroke;
  • 80% of type 2 diabetes; and,
  • 40% of cancer.

Increased education is needed to help consumers better understand their role in the health care marketplace. Providing consumers with information on fees and treatment options will lead to more price-conscious behavior. Education programs on disease prevention, proper diet and exercise will encourage healthier lifestyles, thus reducing the financial burden on the healthcare delivery system.   

NAIFA Health & Employee Benefits believes all health care starts with the individual.  With 75% of our total health care consumption resulting from care for individuals with chronic diseases, the problems we face with sustaining affordable health care is driven in large part by behavior and lifestyle.  As we continue to see growth in spending on health care, more than 60% of the rise in spending is the result of an increase in the occurrence of treatable diseases. For example, there has been a 60% increase in diabetes since 1980.  The real crux of the problem we face as a nation is our weight. From 1985 to the year 2007 the rate of obese adults has grown from 17% of our adult population to over 33%.  More than 20% of the growth of our health care spending is directly related to the increase in obesity.  The byproduct of being obese is usually a myriad of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, musculoskeletal problems and depression. The reality is most chronic diseases are preventable, and the obvious answer lies in diet and exercise.

Senator Tom Harkin’s (D-IA) remarks on the need to reduce childhood obesity sum it up nicely: “If all we talk about is how to pay the bills [for health care] we're not going to get anywhere."