Cause and Effect of Chronic Disease and Its Impact in the United States
Cause and effect of chronic disease and its impact in the United States
********* **** Techniques 1 – Week 3
****** ****** – Student ID: *******
Instructor: ******* *****
April 18, 2010
The United States is experiencing an unsustainable disease burden; 130 million people today suffer from chronic diseases, taking a tremendous toll on individuals, families, and communities. In addition to lives lost and quality of life lost, we are also a nation in crisis, an economic crisis. We spend over $2 trillion a year, about 16 percent of our gross domestic product on health care. 75 cents of every health care dollar we spend is on treatment of chronic disease, most of which is preventable. If we do not reverse this trend, chronic disease will continue to devastate Americans’ health, lead to millions more preventable deaths and will ultimately bankrupt our health care system.
Page 3 The number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the United States: chronic disease. I propose a business model towards an effective means of managing chronic disease to include; challenging policymakers to make the issue of chronic disease a top priority and articulate how they will address the issue through their health care proposals. Educate the public about chronic disease and potential solutions for individuals, communities, and the nation. Mobilize Americans to call for change in how policymakers, governments, employers, health institutions, and other entities approach chronic disease. The reality is that the United States spends more money on health care than any other nation in the world, yet nearly half of Americans suffer from a chronic disease, and the vast majority of our health care dollars are spent treating chronic disease. Chronic disease impacts our nation’s businesses and our economy, reducing productivity and placing an unsustainable burden on all sectors of society. With unprecedented increases in childhood obesity, the youngest
********* **** Techniques 1 – Week 3
****** ****** – Student ID: *******
Instructor: ******* *****
April 18, 2010
The United States is experiencing an unsustainable disease burden; 130 million people today suffer from chronic diseases, taking a tremendous toll on individuals, families, and communities. In addition to lives lost and quality of life lost, we are also a nation in crisis, an economic crisis. We spend over $2 trillion a year, about 16 percent of our gross domestic product on health care. 75 cents of every health care dollar we spend is on treatment of chronic disease, most of which is preventable. If we do not reverse this trend, chronic disease will continue to devastate Americans’ health, lead to millions more preventable deaths and will ultimately bankrupt our health care system.
Page 3 The number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the United States: chronic disease. I propose a business model towards an effective means of managing chronic disease to include; challenging policymakers to make the issue of chronic disease a top priority and articulate how they will address the issue through their health care proposals. Educate the public about chronic disease and potential solutions for individuals, communities, and the nation. Mobilize Americans to call for change in how policymakers, governments, employers, health institutions, and other entities approach chronic disease. The reality is that the United States spends more money on health care than any other nation in the world, yet nearly half of Americans suffer from a chronic disease, and the vast majority of our health care dollars are spent treating chronic disease. Chronic disease impacts our nation’s businesses and our economy, reducing productivity and placing an unsustainable burden on all sectors of society. With unprecedented increases in childhood obesity, the youngest
References: 1. Anderson G. Chronic Conditions: Making the case for ongoing care. Page 72. Johns Hopkins University. November 2007. 2. Annals of family medicine. www.annfammed.org. Volume 7, number 4. July/August 2009. 3. Sperl-Hillen JM, Solberg LI, Hroscikoski MC, Crain AL, Engebretson KI, O’Connor PJ. Do all components of the chronic care model contribute equally to quality improvement? 2004 page 303.