The Implications for Health Care
Chronic disease is putting a strain on our health care system.
The nation's public health care system and infrastructure will be directly impacted by the extent and rate of growth of chronic disease. Rising rates of chronic disease increase the need for health care; this, in turn, leads to higher total health costs for all Americans.
Already, rising rates of chronic disease are reverberating through the nation's health care system. In the U.S., total national spending on public and private health care amounted to approximately $2 trillion during 2005.
Of that amount, more than 75% went toward treatment of chronic disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Much less is being spent on prevention of chronic disease, despite the fact that many of the most costly chronic diseases and related conditions are preventable.
"We spend, as a society, less than $10 per person, per year, on prevention. We spend more than that on oil changes on our cars... We have got to change the way we do business. We need a better balance in our health care system between prevention and repair work."
— Dr. James S. Marks, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Future
Experts are attempting now to assess and anticipate the extent to which future generations of Americans will be afflicted by major chronic diseases.
An increase in chronic disease among the aging baby boomer generation, and among their children, would place even greater strains upon the nation's health care system and impose enormous costs upon current and future generations of taxpayers.
The Good News
With better-informed and educated Americans living healthier lifestyles and practicing good preventive medical routines, the U.S. health care system could become less taxed by chronic disease, and the costs of medical treatments for most families should thereby be kept to manageable levels.
Ensuring our nation's health system is promoting prevention of chronic disease is the key to improving the long-term health of Americans and making the nation's health spending go farther. Find out what the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is doing to make a difference and how you can get involved. Learn more »
Learn more about ways to make improvements in your health and your family's health »
