Candidates hit the mark on costly chronic disease and its broad impact
October 29, 2015 08:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) – an international coalition of hundreds of patient, provider, community, 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 – today applauded the GOP candidates who highlighted the vital importance of improving the ailing health and promoting wellness of the U.S. population during last night’s third Republican presidential debate, hosted by CNBC in Boulder, Colorado.
 

Treating people with chronic conditions now accounts for 86 cents of every dollar spent on health care. One in two Americans lives with at least one chronic condition, and more than one in four American adults have more than one chronic condition.
 
“Problems in health care abound, and last night’s acknowledgement of our country’s ‘health crisis’ was highly relevant to many of the issues discussed – balancing the budget, preserving programs like Medicare and Medicaid,” noted PFCD Chairman Ken Thorpe. “As the elections near, PFCD encourages voters consider all the issues as they get familiar with the candidates who will be elected to enact productive policies, and at the same time, urges candidates on both sides of the aisle to take a comprehensive look at how improving the nation’s health can alleviate financial challenges in our health care system, turnout a more productive workforce and ultimately drive economic growth.”
 

PFCD and its partners will continue in their efforts to challenge, educate and mobilize policymakers, presidential candidates especially, and all stakeholders in both the public and private sectors in order to elevate chronic disease prevention and advocate for policies to implement better health management. The coalition will also run television advertisements highlighting the importance of addressing chronic disease throughout the presidential campaign.
 
About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
 
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is an international coalition of hundreds of patient, provider, community, 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: chronic disease. Learn more by visiting www.FightChronicDisease.org.
 

Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD)
Jennifer Burke
Jennifer.Burke@fightchronicdisease.org