Workers Missing in Action

The cost to this country for a year of missed productivity for 69 million workers added up to $260 billion a year. The five leading causes of death in this country are heart disease, cancers, chronic lower respiratory disease, strokes and unintentional injuries. 

“Unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments have contributed to a tidal wave of risk factors among many Americans,” said Nancy Brown, American Heart Association CEO. “Early intervention and evidence-based public policies are absolute musts to significantly reduce alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, tobacco use and cholesterol levels.”

An example of this “tidal wave” is that 68 million Americans have high blood pressure but only half of those cases are under control. And 71 million people have high cholesterol but two-thirds do not realize it and are doing nothing about it.

But some disagree as to whether prevention programs work as intended... or at all.

"Sweeping statements about the cost-saving potential of prevention, however, are overreaching. Studies have concluded that preventing illness can in some cases save money but in other cases can add to health care costs…," read a statement published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

So which conditions are really the most costly?

Four Most Expensive Diseases to Fight