Coalition Commends Senate HELP Committee for Including Provisions to Improve Prevention, Management of Chronic Disease in Health Legislation
Washington, DC (June 9, 2009) - The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) commends the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for including in its health reform bill released today provisions to address the key cost driver in health care: chronic disease.
"We are pleased to see that the 'Affordable Health Choices Act' has incorporated many ideas from the PFCD Policy Platform Ideas for Change and PFCD’s Principles for Meaningful Health Reform," said PFCD Executive Director, Ken Thorpe, Ph.D. "In supporting several key initiatives, the Senate HELP committee’s legislation lays the groundwork to greatly improve the delivery of high quality to help American’s better prevent, detect, and manage chronic illnesses."
Earlier this year, the PFCD and its hundreds of national and state member organizations coalesced around four areas of health reform that are now key pillars in the "Affordable Health Choices Act." These include:
- The "Right Choices" program - designed to provide the uninsured with access to a set of proven preventive services such as a health risk assessment, physical exam, immunizations, and age and gender appropriate cancer screenings;
- No or low cost-sharing requirements for preventive care - reducing or eliminating co-payments for recommended preventive services to better manage the care of chronically ill beneficiaries;
- Grants for community-based wellness programs - to create a national focus on wellness by providing grants to states or communities to implement innovative, evidence-based prevention and wellness programs at the local level; and,
- Support for community health teams - teams of nurses, nutritionists, and social and mental health workers link primary care practices with additional resources to support the medical home model.
"We are delighted to see these important ideas - tried and tested models designed to help us attack our nation’s obesity and chronic disease woes - included in the HELP legislation," said Thorpe.
Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths and affect more than 130 million Americans. The annual economic impact on the U.S. of the seven most common chronic diseases is estimated to be $1.3 trillion, which could balloon to nearly $6 trillion by 2050.
About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national and state-based 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. For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: www.fightchronicdisease.org.
###
Share It
