New Almanac of Chronic Disease Serves as Comprehensive ResourceWashington, D.C. (November 11, 2013) – One in three Americans identifies obesity and obesity-related chronic disease as the most urgent health problem facing the country. Today, nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and medical costs resulting from obesity total more than $147 billion. Now recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association and most other major provider organizations, obesity and treatments for this disease have become a focal point of healthcare discussions in Congress. Obesity and obesity related chronic diseases – such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes – are the leading cause of death, disability, and rising healthcare costs in the world.The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) recently issued its 2013 Almanac of Chronic Disease to raise awareness of the impact of chronic disease in the United States and further examine the myriad of issues resulting from America’s obesity epidemic.PFCD’s Almanac highlights the significant impact of chronic disease on the U.S. healthcare system, individuals and the economy, and features an interactive display on the prevalence of a variety of chronic conditions and risk factors, obesity in particular.
- The U.S. spends more per capita annually on healthcare for obese Americans than normal weight Americans.
- Overweight and obesity costs U.S. companies billions in lost productivity.
- Obesity and related chronic diseases cost employers up to $93 billion a year in health insurance claims.
- Obesity is a major – and growing – driver of spending in Medicare and Medicaid.
- While many state health agencies provide population-based primary prevention services that address chronic disease risk factors and 90% of state health agencies receive funding from the CDC to prevent obesity, only 4% of state health agencies listed chronic disease prevention in their top five priorities.
“Better management and prevention of obesity can improve health outcomes and save billions of dollars,” said Ken Thorpe, PFCD Chairman. “The magnitude of obesity and its impact on chronic disease is negatively affecting insurance coverage, productivity and the economy. Making obesity a priority in the public and private sectors is a must.”*Take Part in the Conversation, Live on Twitter, Tuesday November 12*As part of a series of obesity-focused events, on Tuesday, November 12th at 11:00 a.m. EST @PFCD is hosting an hour-long, live conversation addressing obesity in America with Kenneth Thorpe, Chairman of PFCD (@KennethThorpe) and Tommy G. Thompson, Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and Governor of Wisconsin (@TommyforHealth). Follow the discussion on twitter using #PFCD or at www.fightchronicdisease.org/liveqa.For more information on PFCD and future events, please visit www.fightchronicdisease.org and follow on twitter (@PFCD and @PFCD_Global).# # #About the Partnership to Fight Chronic DiseaseThe Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an internationally NGO of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs: chronic disease. For a collection of statistics and commentary on the impact of chronic disease, please visit almanac.fightchronicdisease.org.
