From the PhRMA Catalyst blogKen Thorpe, Chairman, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD)Businesses know the impact of poor health and see first hand how some communities are affected more than others. Truly improving health takes time, effort and investment from all of us. With one out of two Americans having at least one chronic condition, the costs of chronic disease are staggering and affect every community, every business, and every person. Treating people with chronic conditions accounts for 84 percent of what we spend on healthcare. In 2011 this totaled more than $2 trillion, but doesn’t even include those costs associated with lost productivity – estimated at more than $1 trillion in loss to our economy each year.There is an undeniably strong link between the wellness and vitality of an organization and the health and wellness of its employees – resulting in employees’ increased job morale, satisfaction, commitment and performance. These are all issues that the PFCD and our partners care about and all agree we can and must do a lot better.Read more