Health Policy Experts Join Community Leaders, Business Executives and Celebrities to Discuss Need for Consensus on Health Care Reform
Panelists call on presidential candidates to address national chronic disease crisis
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (Jan. 31, 2008) - As presidential candidates from both parties debated in advance of California’s Super Tuesday primary on Feb. 5, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today conducted a panel discussion attended by more than 120 leaders in health care, business and entertainment to discuss the role that chronic disease prevention and management must have in the next president’s health care agenda. The PFCD sponsored today’s event in conjunction with The Creative Coalition and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).
Seven out of 10 deaths are due to a chronic medical condition, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, and more than 75 percent of our nation’s health care spending goes to treating conditions that could have been prevented or delayed with better lifestyle choices or earlier medical intervention. Yet only 56 percent of chronically ill patients receive the recommended preventive health care services. Â Any candidate’s health care reform proposal that seeks to save lives and reduce health care spending must focus on the problem of chronic disease.
"This afternoon’s discussion underscored the need for a new approach to health care in America," said event moderator Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), chairman of the PFCD and president of Canyon Ranch Institute. "The fact that leaders who frequently hold opposing views can agree that better chronic disease prevention and management is the key to improving health care affordability and access gives me hope that we can make the changes we need to make. Our next president must be prepared to lead that change and our goal is to help show candidates now what needs to be done and what’s possible."
Featured panelists included Dr. Ken Thorpe, PFCD Executive Director and Chair of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health; Allen Miller, CEO of COPE Health Solutions; Pete Delgado, CEO of the University of Southern California Medical Center; Dr. Warren Jones, executive director of the University of Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health; and Ben Mittleman, director of “Dying to Live: The Journey Into A Man’s Open Heart”. The panelists cited rising rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, as a significant factor in escalating health care costs.
"In order to make high-quality health care accessible to all Americans, we must adopt proactive health care policies aimed at curbing chronic diseases before they reach their most deadly and costly stages," said Thorpe.
Following the panel, Lawrence O'Donnell Jr., senior political analyst for MSNBC and Emmy-winning producer of the West Wing, moderated an interactive discussion with attendees about the issue and how to build consensus in health care reform. Also participating in the interactive discussion were well-known figures from the entertainment world including Tim Allen, William Baldwin, Amy Brenneman, Joe Mantegna, Lawrence O’Donnell, Quentin Tarantino and Alfre Woodard.
About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national 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 85 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 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.
For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org.
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