(Washington - September 10, 2013) The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today announced the release of the 2013 Almanac of Chronic Disease, a powerful tool for policy makers, healthcare professionals, academics and other stakeholders to raise awareness of the impact of chronic disease in the United States.

Chronic diseases and conditions – such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, depression, and diabetes – are the leading causes of death, disability, and rising healthcare costs in America. In 2009, 145 million Americans – almost half of the population – were living with at least one chronic condition. According to the World Health Organization, almost 9 out of every 10 deaths are attributable to chronic disease.

This Almanac highlights the significant impact of chronic disease to the U.S. healthcare system, individuals and the economy as well as the growing movement to counter this epidemic. Featuring an interactive display on the prevalence of a variety of chronic conditions and risk factors, real data at a National or State level is illustrated by mapping trends across the country.

• In 2010, the U.S. spent $2.6 trillion on health care, representing the highest proportion of health spending to GDP in U.S. history (17.9 percent) and a larger percentage of GDP than any other developed country.
• Healthcare spending is divided almost evenly between the public and private sectors. In 2010, private health spending accounted for 55 percent of total health expenditures. Public spending accounted for 45 percent.
• U.S. health spending is projected to almost double over the next ten years. Over the period of 2015 – 2021, health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 6.2 percent annually.
• Despite spending more on healthcare than any other developed country, the U.S. is not spending money efficiently. In February 2011, the Institute of Medicine estimated that up to 30 percent of 2009 health spending is considered wasteful.

“For many Americans, rising health costs jeopardize the affordability of insurance coverage and lead to high rates of personal bankruptcies,” said Ken Thorpe, PFCD Chairman. “This almanac and interactive data tool has been designed to arm patients, providers and policymakers alike with information that can better educate them as they make important healthcare decisions.”

Download the Interactive Data Tool
http://almanac.fightchronicdisease.org/Interactive

Watch the video: PFCD Chairman Kenneth Thorpe, Ph.D. introduces the Almanac of Chronic Disease
http://almanac.fightchronicdisease.org/About/Foreword

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 Disease
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an internationally-recognized 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.