SCHotline Press Releases

Nine out of 10 Americans believe it is important for 2008 Presidential candidates to have a plan to reduce chronic disease

COLUMBIA – August 21 – Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006) and president of Canyon Ranch Institute, addressed students and faculty from the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, where he called on current and future policy makers to focus on chronic disease prevention.

Dr. Carmona announced the results of a survey that reveals that nine out of 10 Americans believe it is important for 2008 Presidential candidates to have a plan to reduce chronic disease. In addition, eight out of 10 Americans believe the United States should prioritize our health care dollars to “invest more in preventive measures to ensure that diseases are prevented or kept from becoming more serious.” These are two of the key findings in a recent survey done for the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), which recently launched nationally and in the three key primary states of South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire.

“This survey reinforces that Americans want our policy makers to focus on preventing chronic disease, the number one cause of death and the single biggest driver of health care costs in our country,” Dr. Carmona said. “Unfortunately, health and wellness are not at the forefront, as they should be. We’ve successfully built a system that’s based on treating illness after it occurs rather than promoting health and wellness. We’re a treatment-focused society, when the real social and economic benefits come from being prevention focused.”

The survey also reveals that:

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes seven out of 10 American deaths to chronic disease[i], just 15 percent of Americans believe it is at least that high. More than half (55%) believe it is less than 50 percent of deaths. Most—56 percent—put the range between 20 and 60 percent.

While the CDC estimates that chronic disease accounts for more than 75 percent of all health care spending in the U.S.[ii], the American public believes it is far less. Most adults interviewed (48% nationally; 49% in South Carolina) believe chronic disease accounts for less than 50 percent of all spending.

“Clearly we have work to do so that everyone fully understand the staggering annual death toll from chronic disease and the skyrocketing costs of treating chronic disease,” said Dr. Carmona. “Yet even so, the American public overwhelmingly supports making disease prevention and better management of chronic disease a priority on our national health agenda.”

The results of the survey include:
Almost nine in 10 Americans say they would be likely to support a 2008 presidential candidate who made preventing and managing chronic disease a primary part of his or her health care plan. Equal percentages say they would be very likely (43%) or somewhat likely (43%) to support such a candidate, whereas 10 percent would not be likely to back this candidate. At least three-quarters of the members of each demographic subgroup examined are likely to support this candidate.
o    There is no significant difference between Iowa (79% more likely), New Hampshire (84%) and South Carolina (82%) in levels of support.
U.S. adults provide a pretty accurate estimation of the percent of Americans who have at least one chronic disease. Recent estimates are that 45 percent of Americans have at least one chronic disease[iii]; in our survey, most adults estimate that between 20 percent and 60 percent of Americans are afflicted with at least one chronic disease.
Americans are divided about how much of the death and disability caused by chronic disease can be prevented. Overall, 44 percent of Americans believe we can prevent nearly all or most of the disease and disability associated with chronic disease whereas 53 percent feel only some/not much/none at all can be prevented.
o    In reality, according to the CDC, eliminating three risk factors—poor diet, inactivity and smoking—would prevent an estimated 80 percent of heart disease and stroke; 80 percent of type 2 diabetes; and 40 percent of cancer.[iv]
“These survey results are a wake-up call to U.S. policymakers and candidates for office: American voters from all sides of the political spectrum want prevention of chronic disease to be front and center in our nation’s approach to health and wellness,” said Dr. Carmona.  “To their credit, several candidates are talking about the need for a national revolution in health. What is really needed and what we must all better appreciate and embrace is that the only way to improve America’s healthcare system is to focus on disease prevention. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue; it’s an American issue.”

The key chronic disease drivers are:
Chronic diseases represent more than 75 percent of health care costs[v] and more than 70 percent of the deaths in the U.S.[vi] More than 133 million Americans have a chronic disease[vii];
Two-thirds of spending over the past 25 years is attributable to the rise in rates of treated chronic disease. Of the $314.4 billion in cost increase between 1987 and 200, $211 billion is attributable to the rise in the prevalence of treated chronic disease;[viii]
Thirty percent of the increase in health spending since 1987 is due to doubling of the rate of obesity during that time[ix]; and,
Only 56 percent of chronically ill patients receive the recommended preventive health care services.[x]

About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national bipartisan coalition 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 in the U.S.: chronic disease.
The PFCD’s mission is to:
Challenge policymakers – in particular, the 2008 presidential candidates – 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
Leaders in the effort represent more than 50 leading organizations from across health care, business and labor including Aetna, American Academy of Family Physicians, Alliance for Aging Research, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Hospital Association, American Pharmacists Association Foundation, Disease Management Association of America, Kerr Drug, Integrated Benefits Institute, International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, NAACP, Milken Institute, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, National Association of Manufacturers, National Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Service Employees International Union, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and YMCA of the USA, among others.