Early Prevention Programs
One study demonstrated that the U.S. could save about $16 billion within five years because of early prevention programs. And because of the proposed programs, it is estimated that for every dollar spent, there is a $5.60 return. A great investment were you on Wall Street. But prevention accounts for only two to three percent of all health care expenditures so even with that great return rate, the effect is nominal.
Let’s look at an example of expenditures for cardiovascular diseases. In 2010, $444 billion was spent on health care for all heart-related illnesses. For prevention of heart events in the same year, $56.2 million was spent to conduct heart disease and stroke prevention.
Do prevention programs work?
A review of cost-effectiveness analyses shows that exercise and diet programs, tobacco control strategies, obesity management plans, diabetes screens, and other initiatives add value or save money over time, according to William Weintraub, MD, of Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del.
Only When You Use Them
Nationally, we Americans use prevention programs at half the rate that is desired. But it was discovered that when you get rid of deductibles and co-pays, women will increase mammogram usage by nine percent. Health advocates have been lobbying for zero co-pays as it increases participation of both men and women in prevention programs.
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
HEART DISEASE
Heart disease is the No. 1 most expensive medical fight we have on our hands. The cost: $100 billion a year. Yes, a year. This includes heart conditions, strokes, peripheral artery disease and high blood pressure. More than one in three citizens live with cardiovascular disease. It is the leading killer of both men and women today. Of the 735,000 heart attacks in this country a year, two-thirds of them are first-time heart events. And one dollar of every six dollars spent on health care is for cardiac event treatment.
Prevention of high cholesterol and high blood pressure would go a long way in reigning in heart disease. But Americans don’t seem to get it. A large part of the problem is our sedentary lifestyle and easy availability of unhealthy fast and highly processed foods. We can do something proactive but for personal reasons, most of us don’t do anything at all.
INJURY AND TRAUMAS
Annual costs for injuries and traumas comes in at $97 billion a year. These include auto crashes, assaults, burns and other accidents. As far as experts can tell, there were 50 million injuries requiring some kind of medical attention. There were 37 million emergency room visits and 2.6 million hospital admissions. Men (was there any question?) made up the bulk of ER patients. More than two-thirds were comprised of auto wrecks and falls. And though adults between the ages of 25 through 44 equal about 30 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 40 percent of the total costs of injuries. Ahh, youth.
CANCER
Cancer tips the economic scales to the tune of $88.7 billion in expenditures a year. Breast, colon, lung, prostate and lymphoma led the list of most popular cancers for physicians to deal with. Americans have the seventh highest cancer rate in the world with 300 of every 100,000 people developing it. This year more than half a million people will die of cancer.
If statistics remain flat, expenditures for cancer care could reach $158 billion by year 2020. But we all know that baby boomers are aging out of the workforce and retiring. With age, comes a rising risk of cancer. This could be a bump on that statistical chart.
MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health care in this country amounts to $83 billion a year, affecting about 61.5 million adults -- that’s one in four afflicted by this insidious demon. One in two Americans will be caught by mental illness, minor or major, once in their lives. One in 17 live with serious psychological illnesses, 13.6 million in all deal with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression every day. Nearly 20 percent of Americans suffer through some kind of mental illness a year. It is estimated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness that untreated mental illness costs the U.S. economy $100 billion a year in lost productivity.
So now you know, illness is crazy expensive in America and takes its toll on the bottom line. So do every other citizen a favor and get a check-up annually and visit the doctor when you can’t seem to shake something. It’ll help your bottom line as well.